El Niño forecast drives drought and fire readiness plans in Australia and New Zealand

A strong to very strong El Niño is expected to develop, steering southern and eastern Australia toward a hotter, drier winter and spring. Meteorologists warn that this raises the likelihood of drought, water shortages and an aggressive fire season. Authorities are urged to adopt a staged response, beginning with low‑cost, low‑regret actions such as funding volunteer‑firefighter training, creating a national drought early‑warning system and removing legal barriers to cultural burning. Further steps include rapid drought relief, early mental‑health support for rural communities and pre‑positioning aerial firefighting assets.

In New Zealand’s Otago region, farmers anticipate similarly hotter, drier and windier spring conditions. Sheep and beef farmer Brian Thomson said, “If you’ve been farming for long enough, you adapt to those changes… we start destocking when it looks like it is coming in.” Dairy farmer Chris Morrissey noted the option to cull cows early, while others rely on irrigation to mitigate the impact. Producers plan to monitor conditions and adjust stocking rates as the forecast materialises.