2014 confirmed as the third-warmest year in Australia

Australian Bureau of Meteorology confirmed in its annual report released on Tuesday that Australia has experienced its third-warmest calendar year in 2014 since national records began in 1910.
The bureau's Assistant Director for Climate Information Services Neil Plummer said 2014 was characterized by frequent heatwaves and warm spells, and a notable reduction in cold weather.
"Much of Australia experienced temperatures very much above average in 2014, with mean temperatures 0.91 degree Celsius above the long-term average," Plummer said in a media release of the bureau.
"This follows the warmest year on record in 2013, which was 1. 20 degree Celsius warmer than average."
He said that particularly warm conditions occurred in spring 2014, which was Australia's warmest spring on record.
"El Nino-like effects were felt in drier and warmer conditions in much of eastern Australia during 2014."
In 2014, prolonged rainfall deficiencies continued for inland and southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales, although in the country as a whole, the rainfall was near average for the year, with 478 mm.