Annual climate summary 2011

This report contains descriptions of Australia\u27s rainfall and temperature patterns during 2011, and documents significant weather and climate events. 2011, like 2010, was a La Niña year with well-above-average rainfall. Flooding was a persistent feature of the year, affecting large areas of the north and east of Australia. Back-to-back La Niña events led to a highest-on-record two-year rainfall total, and for 2011 alone, it was the second-wettest year on record. 2011 was the first time in a decade that Australia recorded a cooler-than-average annual mean temperature, although below-average temperatures were mostly confined to northern Australia. Globally, 2011 was the equal-tenth-warmest year on record