As the temperature drops and Victorians begin to turn on their gas heating, many in the National Electricity Market (NEM) are wondering what the gas demands this winter will be? Cool blasts and high gas demand are primarily brought about by Antarctic southerly winds behind cold fronts that sweep across southern Australia. So, can we predict the number of cold fronts or cool spells that will […]
A wintry blast has hit southeastern Australia this week, with temperatures plummeting for the first time this year. Canberra’s temperature dropped to a chilly –2.6 degrees Sunday night, which was 9 degrees below April’s average and the coolest night since August last year. The chilly blast also started Australia’s snow season off with a bang, bringing 10cm of snow to Thredbo earlier this week. A strong cold front was responsible for this, pushing Antarctic air into Australia. Cold fronts are […]
The first cold blast of the season is set to feel like winter for Victorians and people in southern NSW. Snow, frost and cold temperatures are all on the forecast for this weekend. But will this have Victorians turning their heaters on?
La Niña has just delivered much of the NEM the wettest and coldest summer in at least 5 years. But how have extreme temperatures and wind power stacked up this summer compared to the past?
La Nina is upon us, increasing the likelihood of above normal rainfall and cloud this summer across much of Australia, especially for the northern and eastern coastline. La Nina explained simply. La Nina is well underway in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific waters, with significant cooling observed during the last few months. The atmospheric […]
Low wind power during October 2020 During the past month, a positive Southern Annular Mode (SAM) (Figure 1), has been promoting below normal wind power for much of the National Electricity Market (NEM). The SAM refers to the north-south shift of westerly weather systems/fronts in the Southern Ocean compared to their usual position. Periods of […]
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 […]
