A pair of tropical cyclones may form to the northwest of Australia next week, with the potential for one to come close to the Pilbara and Kimberley coasts. Northern Australia faces an increased risk of heavy rain and tropical cyclone activity in the coming week thanks to the interaction of two huge atmospheric waves near […]
Northern Australia faces an increased risk of heavy rain and tropical cyclone activity in the coming weeks thanks to the interaction of two huge atmospheric waves near Australia. While Earth’s atmosphere may appear chaotic, there are distinct wave-like patterns in the sky that meteorologists watch out for to help predict the weather in the coming […]
Australia should experience summer without the influence of major climate drivers like La Niña or a negative IOD, potentially heightening the risk of heatwaves, extreme heat and bushfires across parts of the country. Pacific Ocean climate driver During much of 2024, the sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific have been cooler than […]
Australia recorded its warmest spring on record, with also severe rainfall deficiencies occurring across parts of the country, setting the stage for high fire risk this summer. The Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council (AFAC) released their summer bushfire outlook for 2024 on Thursday, November 28, showing large areas of the NT, Vic and […]
Tropical Cyclone Robyn has formed inside Australia’s area of responsibility, becoming the first named cyclone of the 2024-25 season. Robyn became a category one tropical cyclone over the eastern Indian Ocean on Thursday afternoon, forming roughly 740 km to the west southwest of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands at about 2pm AWST. Image: Visible satellite images […]
An extremely wet week is on the cards for northern Australia, with frequent thunderstorm activity and heavy rainfall likely impacting mining operations in the country’s north. The soggy week is being partially caused by the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) which is currently over the Indian Ocean and nearing Australia. Models suggest that the MJO may […]
The Madden Julian Oscillation and the monsoon should impact Australia in the next fortnight, increasing the risk of heavy rain, flooding, thunderstorms and tropical cyclones in the coming weeks. The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is currently over the Indian ocean and is forecast to move east towards Australia in the coming days and remain in the […]
A brief burst of heavy rain is likely to cause flash flooding along Queensland’s central coast on Thursday. A coastal trough being fed by a deep layer of moisture-laden winds coming off the Coral Sea will cause heavy rain over Qld’s central coast and adjacent inland on Wednesday night into Thursday. There also signs that […]
A stormy week is well and truly underway for WA, with more to come in the coming days. Rain, and plenty of it, is set to soak virtually the entire state. And while some places will inevitably only see a few drops or miss out entirely, plenty of areas will see good falls. Image: Three-day […]
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 […]
