The BoM has finally declared an El Nino. What does it mean – and why did it take so long?

Here’s what you need to know about the El Nino climate pattern and how it could impact Australia’s summer bushfire season

The Bureau of Meteorology has declared that Australia is now in the grip of an El Niño climate pattern.

It follows a warning from the UN’s weather agency in July that an El Niño event had commenced, which would likely see a “surge in global temperatures and disruptive weather and climate patterns” around the planet.