Darwin’s latest monsoon on record is finally arriving on Friday, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms with it and a higher risk of tropical cyclone development in the next week or so. The monsoon refers to the seasonal reversal of the wind pattern over northern Australia, where the dry east to southeasterly winds that dominate for much […]
On Sunday, Vic experienced the rare combination of extreme heat and severe thunderstorms, which sparked several new fires across the states southwest. Sunday’s mix of extreme heat, thunderstorms, rainfall, flooding, and bushfires in Vic was caused by a high-pressure system in the Tasman Sea, bringing hot and unusually humid air across the state. The thunderstorms were […]
A tropical cyclone could form by early next week, with monsoon winds and tropical lows triggering the wet season and potentially impacting northern Australian businesses. The animation below shows widespread cloud around northern Australia on Friday. Within these vast areas of cloud are several areas of low pressure that have the potential to deepen and […]
Five tropical lows are forecast to form over the northern Australia waters this week, with an increased risk of heavy rainfall and tropical cyclone potential. The enhanced tropical activity comes as two giant tropical waves clash near Australia this week, called the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) and an equatorial Kelvin Wave. In addition to […]
A developing low pressure system off Australia’s northwest coast has a high chance of becoming a tropical cyclone this weekend, with the potential for heavy rain and wind to impact some mining and port clients in the Pilbara. Two separate areas of low pressure lying off the northern coast of WA are expected to consolidate […]
Violent thunderstorms will pummel parts of NSW, Queensland, Victoria and the ACT over the next couple of days, with potential for supercells and a dangerous squall line late on Wednesday. These thunderstorms have the potential to cause power outages like Vic experienced on Sunday, when dangerous storms lashed the state. An upper-level pool of cold […]
The Australian tropics could be on the verge of awakening, with growing signs that heavy rain and increased tropical cyclone risk could impact mining operations next week. Despite frequent showers and thunderstorms over parts of northern Australia in the last couple of months, there has been a noticeable absence of sustained monsoon rainfall and tropical […]
It could be a tough week for insurers, with daily severe thunderstorms possibly bringing large hail, damaging winds, heavy rain, and flooding to parts of eastern Australia, including the capital cities. This prolonged and dangerous thunderstorm outbreak will be generated by an extremely humid atmosphere and a series of low pressure troughs and lows throughout the […]
Extremely hot conditions across several states and territories has caused energy demand to soar on Monday, with extreme fire danger and the potential for severe thunderstorms on the cards. The heat is being caused by hot northerly winds from the interior of Australia moving over the country’s southeast, ahead of a cold front and southerly […]
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 […]
