I have only been on this planet for 32 and half years but in my life time I haven't seen to many strong cold pool come up the Bight like that in March let alone early March mabye a few to that degreee and intensity. Of course when your going to get such a super cold pool surge up like that with so much moisture coming down from Queensland due to record rain its going to go off like bananas isn't it?? I can't believe how some people are trying to pinpoint this to climate change or global warming.
Andrew happends all the time those warm ssts off the East coast at the back of any El Nino same thing happend in 2007 and 1998. Usually right on cue Jan, Feb, March or April the rain and storms become more frequent over SE and Eastern Australia at the end of any El Nino and this year is no expecption. Happend in 1972, 1983, 1995, 1998, Feb 2003, Jan 2007.
Big monsoonal low tracked SE from the GOC into Southern Queensland and Northern NSW bringing widespread 150-250mm in Jan 1995 once again the back of an El Nino.
For some reason Tropical lows and ex cyclones like to track inland (South or SE) in El Nino's Summers/ Early Autumn its well known fact alot of history and facts support this hence the heavy rainfall and of course higher humidity and higher overnight temps that comes attributed to that.
Infact similar set up happend in March 1983 to what just happend last weekend & guess what? Back of an El Nino again & 400mm+ in the Otways 110mm in Melbourne heavy rain storms right across the state with a cold pool in the Bight interacting with a tropical low from the North.. But did we blame Climate change and global warming then when it happend in 1983 at the end of the El Nino? 27 years ago? I highly doubt it until the mid 90's global warming or climate change wasn't even mentioned.
Going by history our best rain and storms (for Eastern and SE Australia) come at the back on Any El Nino anywhere from January onwards why do you think the BOM since November have been going for more increased chance of wetter conditions?
infact I believe we get it better down here at the end of any El Nino than any Neutral or La Nina years.
I suppose now the High block for the next week or 2 will be blamed on climate change too now