ABSTRACT
Australia has been characterised by one of its more famous poets as ‘a land of droughts and flooding rains’. This arises largely from the strong influence of the El NiñoSouthern Oscillation (ENSO) which produces widespread drought during El Niño years and heavy rains during the opposite La Niña phase (Allan et al., 1996; Philander, 1990; Pittock, 1975). Australia is also subject to visitations from tropical cyclones on most of the west coast, the whole of the north coast, and as far south as Brisbane on the east coast. The most famous recent tropical cyclone was Cyclone Tracy, which destroyed Darwin on Christmas Eve, 1974. Severe thunderstorms, with often damaging hail, are also a widespread feature of the weather, with hail damage second only to that from tropical cyclones in insured losses (Insurance Council of Australia, 1997). Mid-latitude coastal storms can also lead to extensive damage from storm surges and high wave energy.
