Table 2 Table showing spring (SON) weekly maximum Murrumbidgee river heights at Hay (southern MDB) that exceed flood level (6.7 m), and seasonal count, in the 125 years 1874–2018.

From: From the 1990s climate change has decreased cool season catchment precipitation reducing river heights in Australia’s southern Murray-Darling Basin

Year

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

SON total count

ENSO strength & sign

1874

7.92

7.77

 

2

N/A

1877

  

8.17

1

Mod. −

1878

 

8.99

7.92

2

Mod-strong +

1879

8.0

  

1

Very strong +

1886

6.95

  

1

Mod +

1887

7.22

  

1

Very strong +

1888

 

7.65

 

1

Mod. −

1889

7.31

  

1

Mod. +

1890

6.7

  

1

Strong +

1891

6.9

7.16

7.01

3

Weak −

1893

 

7.25

 

1

Mod-strong +

1894

8.3

  

1

Very strong +

1905

 

8.08

 

1

Mod. −

1906

7.62

8.08

 

2

Mod. +

1909

7.08

  

1

Weak −

1916

7.43

8.2

 

2

Mod. +

1917

8.11

8.31

8.31

3

Very strong +

1918

7.01

  

1

Weak −

1923

6.7

6.93

 

2

Mod. −

1925

7.77

  

1

Mod −

1932

7.08

  

1

Weak −

1934

7.74

 

8.29

2

Neutral

1939

8.29

  

1

Weak −

1950

  

8.31

1

Mod-strong +

1951

6.85

7.54

 

2

Neutral

1952

 

7.8

7.8

2

Neutral

1955

8.15

 

7.13

2

Mod. +

1956

7.84

7.96

8.23

3

Weak +

1959

  

7.07

1

Neutral

1960

6.82

8.41

 

2

Weak +

1964

7.19

8

7.35

3

Weak +

1970

 

8.56

 

1

Weak +

1974

8.99

8.63

8.64

3

Weak +

1975

  

8.62

1

Mod-strong +

1976

  

7.71

1

Neutral

1978

 

7.6

 

1

Neutral

1984

7.26

6.76

 

2

Neutral

1990

7.27

  

1

Neutral

2016

 

8.45

 

1

Neutral

  1. Also included is the strength of the ENSO signal as determined by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/lnlist/index.shtml). Note the neutral ENSO association with flood heights since the mid-1970s and only one event since 1990.