New data released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service has confirmed that 2023 was Earth’s warmest year on record, with an annual mean temperature close to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels. According to the highly-regarded ERA5 dataset, Earth’s global average temperature during 2023 was 14.98ºC. This was 1.48ºC warmer than the 1850-1900 ‘pre-industrial’ average and […]
It was only last year that we came out of a 3-year La Niña but there is a significant chance that the Pacific Ocean returns to a La Niña state by spring this year, increasing the chances of wet weather across eastern Australia in spring and summer. The 2010/2011 La Niña event demonstrates that such […]
Australia’s mean maximum temperature in 2023 was 1.34ºC warmer than the 30-year period ending in 1990, making it the country’s 5th warmest year on record. The combined warming effects of El Niño, a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and climate change helped make 2023 one of Australia’s top 10 warmest years ever recorded. Every state […]
Some of the heaviest rain ever observed in Australia has hit Queensland’s North Tropical Coast during the last few days, resulting in widespread major flooding and landslips. Rainfall has been relentless over northeast Qld ever since Tropical Cyclone Jasper made landfall near Wajul Wajul on Wednesday, December 13. This 5-day spell of wet weather was […]
Global climate records have been shattered in 2023, with temperatures in the atmosphere and ocean at the warmest levels ever observed, according to a new report. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released a provisional State of the Global Climate report on November 30 to coincide with the start of the COP28 United Nations Climate […]
Australia has entered summer 2023-24 under the influence of a moderate El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole. So how will these climate drivers influence Australia’s weather throughout the season and what can you expect to see in your part of the country during the next three months? Climate drivers this season The […]
Parts of Australia are having one of their wettest Novembers on record during El Niño. This is a juxtaposition that may seem surprising, but it is actually a timely reminder of Australia’s fickle relationship with broad-scale climate drivers. El Niño has been in the news a lot this year since it was initially declared by […]
The hot and dry weather associated with El Niño should persist into Autumn next year as the event continues to strengthen. El Niño was officially declared by the Bureau of Meteorology in September on the back of three consecutive La Nina years. El Niño is a major climate driver which is characterised by unusually […]
As temperatures continue to soar in western Sydney, councils and local government have set up centres to keep locals cool this summer. Penrith in Sydney’s west was momentarily dubbed the hottest place on Earth when it recorded a temperature of 48.9˚°C on January 4, 2020. Parramatta to Penrith’s east is also prone to extreme […]
Australia’s tropical cyclone season is officially underway, but we may not see much activity for few months yet. The season runs from November to April, and for mining operators and businesses across northern Australia, 2026-27 is shaping up to be a season where the headline numbers and the real risk may not line up. On […]
A positive Indian Ocean Dipole is underway, but this one is unlikely to deliver the textbook dry spring and summer that businesses have come to expect from the pattern. The Bureau of Meteorology officially declared a positive IOD on Tuesday, October 27, which typically like El Niño can cause drier and warmer conditions over parts of […]
Waters off Indonesia have cooled in recent weeks, an indication that a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) event could be developing. It’s an important climate driver for Australia, and it could shape rainfall and temperatures heading into summer, with flow-on effects for farmers, energy and other industries. What is the Indian Ocean Dipole? The IOD […]
Leonora, WA, had its wettest September day on record earlier this month. Three weeks later, more than 1.3 million lightning pulses were detected within 800 km of the town in 48 hours. Why is a stalled trough delivering storms to mining country, and what it could mean for operations? The DTN Total Lightning Network detected […]
