Driest September on record worsens Australia's rain shortfall

FILE PHOTO: Two combines harvest wheat near Moree, Australia, October 27, 2020. Picture taken October 27, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Barrett/File Photo

CANBERRA (Reuters) -Australia's weather bureau said on Friday that areas of severe rainfall deficiency had expanded after the driest September on record, putting farm production in one of the world's largest agricultural exporters at risk.

Australia is in the grip of an El Nino weather phenomenon that typically brings hotter, drier weather, and temperatures soared to record highs last month.