Australia records second hottest September as El Niño and climate change converge

Australia logged its second-hottest September on record, with record-high minimum temperatures and zero snow depth in Kosciuszko National Park, driven by global heating and a strengthening El Niño. The data, from the Bureau of Meteorology, shows all states ranked in the top five warmest Septembers, underscoring the compounding effects of climate change and natural variability. This accelerates environmental stress, with implications for water resources, agriculture, and bushfire risk.