Australia endured fourth-hottest year on record in 2016

Canberra : Australia experienced the fourth-warmest year on records in 2016, a year which had extreme weather events and was wetter than average overall, an official report revealed on Thursday. Last year, the national average temperature in Australia was 0.87 degrees Celsius higher than the average, while the sea surface temperature stood at 0.77 degrees Celsius above average - the countrys warmest on record, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorologys Annual Climate Summary report. The extreme weather events led to bush fires, severe thunderstorms and tornados and widespread flooding, Efe news reported. The annual rainfall for all of Australia was 17 per cent above average. Climate Information Services assistant director Neil Plummer said that 2016 was an "eventful year" for Australia, with several significant events that affected the countrys climate, including the El Nino phenomenon and the Indian Ocean Dipole. -Agency