Why Australia’s fires are linked to floods in Africa

Fires are normal in Australia. This year was off the charts. 

Australia’s recent fire season has been hellish, and there’s no end in sight. At least 17.9 million acres have burned, 28 people have died, and an estimated 1 billion animals have been lost.

But while Australia burns, East Africa has been grappling with record-breaking rainfall leading to catastrophic floods. Both have a common cause — and it lies in the Indian Ocean.

Watch the video above the learn how a large oceanic temperature gradient, the Indian Ocean Dipole, affects weather in East Africa and Australia. And how climate change could make this season’s disastrous weather the new norm.

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Want to help? Here are some organizations that are collecting donations that could use your support:

• The New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Country Fire Service Foundation, and Country Fire Authority
• The Australian Red Cross’s fire and recovery relief fund
• East Africa relief