Parts of southern Australia, including Adelaide, are in the grip of the worst February heatwave in years, with temperatures set to get even hotter over the coming days. A hot air mass that built up over northwestern Australia in the past week is now spilling into southern Australia ahead of a cold front and associated […]
A broad mass of very hot air is sweeping across Australia this week, causing a heatwave in part of every state and territory and sending temperature towards 40ºC in at least two capital cities. The image below shows the forecast maximum temperatures over Australia today, Thursday, February 16. The big pool of pink shading represents […]
A positive Indian Ocean Dipole may be brewing this year, that would lead to a dry winter and spring in 2023. But how much faith should we have in this forecast? The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is a similar climate driver to El Niño and La Niña in the Pacific Ocean. It is based […]
Australia saw its warmest sea surface temperatures on record in 2022, with an annual average sea surface temp that was 0.80°C above the long-term (1961 to 1990) average. What’s remarkable about the 2022 sea surface temperatures (SSTs) is that: They were very much higher than average around almost the entire Australian coastline for the year […]
Tropical cyclones and heatwaves are both Australian summer staples, but did you know that a tropical cyclone can lead to a heatwave? A heatwave in Australia, but particularly for the southeast, is often triggered by a special kind of high pressure system called a ‘blocking’ high. Blocking highs are high pressure systems that have […]
Here it comes: a brief burst of wintry weather set to lash southeastern Australia over the next 24 hours or so. See the huge speckled airmass down in the Great Australian Bight? It’s a feature which indicates cold, polar air. As Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino wrote a couple of years ago: “These clouds form […]
Australia just experienced its coolest start to a year since 2002 as the ongoing influence of La Nina helped suppress temperatures over large parts of the country. The national mean temperature in Australia during January was equal to the 1961 to 1990 average, making it the country’s coolest January in 21 years. Image: Mean temperature […]
The mercury is on the rise over Southeast Queensland and Northeast New South Wales as a cold front down south pushes hot air over the region. This severe heatwave kicked off with a sweltering Tuesday night. Maryborough stayed above 25.4°C all night, making it is hottest night in six years, while Rockhampton’s low of […]
Dangerous fire weather is on its way for the eastern states from today (Wednesday) through to at least Saturday, as winds strengthen ahead of an approaching cold front. This will not be your classic super hot, 40-degree type fire weather, however two factors will nonetheless elevate the fire risk: WIND: Gusty westerly winds of around […]
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 […]
