The BOM this year has been soundly criticised for continually announcing the imminent arrival of La Nina earlier this year when other services were forecasting the complete opposite, which turned out to be the case.
Dr.Coughlan apparently believes that if we can turn the temperature down, then we can return to normal run-off. If that was the case how come that across Australia the first half of the 1900's had lower temperatures than now but also generally experienced greater below average rainfall. It was only in the second half that rainfall generally increased as the temperature also rose.
Record hot, but hope on horizon By LYNDAL READING 19dec07
The Bureau of Meteorology has painted an alarming picture of rising global temperatures, polar ice melt and reduced rainfall.
But Bureau national climate centre head Dr Michael Coughlan said the higher rainfall last month was evidence Australia could expect some drought relief during the next few months.
He said the "El Nino plague of 2005 and 2006" had finally passed but the La Nina that was expected to follow hot on the heels of El Nino took a long time coming.
Dr Coughlan said the southern part of Australia, below Brisbane, experienced the hottest year on record.
"If you include all of Australia, then 2007 was in the top 10 hottest years on record," Dr Coughlan said.
He said February was the hottest month, with the warm conditions continuing through autumn.
Dr Coughlan said the warm temperatures were evidence of climate change.
"There's been periods in the past where rainfall has been reduced," he said.
"The big difference is the temperature, the very high temperatures."
Dr Coughlan said the warm conditions led to more evaporation and less run-off into storages.
"In order to return to normal run-off we need to turn the temperature down," he said.
A report released by the World Meteorological Organisation last week shows the decade from 1998 to 2007 was the hottest on record.
The global average temperature has increased by 0.41C from the 1961-1990 average of 14C.
Dr Coughlan said declining volumes of sea ice in the Arctic circle was also evidence of climate change.
