2022 south eastern Australia floods
The 2022 south eastern Australia floods are a series of floods that have occurred in south-eastern Australia since October 2022. Some towns experienced the highest river peaks in decades, and many places saw rivers peak multiple times. The floods were attributed to excess torrential rain caused by La Niña and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole. In Victoria, the Campaspe River, Maribyrnong River, Avoca River, Goulburn River, Loddon River and Broken River all flooded their banks. In New South Wales, the Lachlan River caused major flooding in Forbes and the Murrumbidgee River at Wagga Wagga caused problems. In Tasmania, the Mersey River, Meander River and Macquarie River saw water levels reach major flood levels. With the exception of the Maribyrnong River, the aforementioned Victoria and NSW rivers flow into the Murray River, which caused flooding downstream in North-Western Victoria and South Australia in November and December, and into January. The floods were expected to reduce Australia's economic growth and increase inflation. According to the Insurance Council of Australia, the NSW floods were the nation's costliest natural disaster on record, with over $5.5 billion in claims. Meteorology Lower temperatures leading to lower evaporation rates and wetter conditions in September left the ground