'Expect tropical cyclones, bushfires, severe weather, floods' in bleak summer forecast

A warmer and wetter than average December is on the way according to the Bureau of Meteorology's long range forecast.

Transcript

00:00So Australia has entered its high-risk weather season and we will expect over

00:04the next four months to see tropical cyclones, bushfires, severe weather, floods

00:09in some part of the country. Looking at the Bureau's long-range outlook we're

00:14looking at increased odds of a wet December particularly across most of the

00:17east and into the northwest of WA. We're also seeing evidence that we will see a

00:24warmer than average summer with a risk of extreme heat particularly across the

00:28north. With warm oceans around Australia it's likely to be quite sticky and

00:32humid at times and that is quite a big significant factor if you are vulnerable

00:37in some way so that's the elderly or those with medical conditions who are

00:40sensitive to extreme heat. So that wet December will raise the risk of

00:45flooding this summer particularly in the east and it will also raise the

00:50possibility that the tropical cyclones that we will see will be more severe

00:54than those that we've seen in the past. Typically Australia sees about four

00:58tropical cyclones make landfall over the high-risk weather season and we're

01:02expecting a typical season in that regard. We should also just mention that

01:07fire is still an attendant risk in Australia. We are entering the summer

01:11period with some regions with low rainfall and soil moisture. We have seen

01:15some rain in recent days and are looking for a wet December however that does not

01:19mean that major fires will not follow in January and February particularly if

01:24things dry out and we have seen that in the past. So just to re-emphasise

01:28Australia experience these hazards over summer and it is up to communities to

01:32really think about these events and prepare for them particularly if you're

01:36in the relevant zone. Please check in with the Bureau's weather forecast, its

01:41warnings and its long-range forecast as well which is updated every week because

01:45as we can see conditions can change rather quickly depending on where you are.

01:54you