The climate of 2011 was dominated by two La Niña events: a strong event peaking over the summer of 2010–11 and a second La Niña which developed in late 2011. This contributed to record rainfall for Australia over a two-year period and cooler than average temperatures over most of Australia last year, particularly in the northern parts. These conditions are explained in the newly released Annual Climate Summary 2011 and analysed against longer-term trends.
