A tropical low to the northwest of WA is moving towards the Pilbara and could develop into a tropical cyclone over the weekend. But will it cross the coast? The tropical low designated 08U was southeast of Christmas Island on Wednesday morning. The system is expected to develop into a tropical cyclone on Friday […]
There are increasing signs that a tropical cyclone will develop offshore the WA coastline this week, possibly impacting the region over the weekend. A tropical low designated 08U is 270 km southwest of Christmas Island and is expected to pass south of the Island this morning as it moves east towards the WA mainland. […]
The tropics will awaken across northern Australia this week, with huge rainfall totals, thunderstorms, tropical lows and tropical cyclone risk all on the cards. This active week across northern Australia is being driven by a strong monsoon trough and the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) in the region. As we mentioned last week, the […]
Over 4 months of rainfall has fallen in a single day in southeastern parts of WA, with the chance of over a years’ worth of rainfall falling by the end of the week. Eyre, along WA’s southern coast, experienced unprecedented heavy rainfall, with 141mm of rainfall was recorded in the gauge to 9am WST Sunday. […]
An active pulse of the Madden-Julian Oscillation will increase the risk of tropical cyclones and thunderstorms in the Australian region over the coming week. The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) refers to a pulse of increased tropical cloud, rainfall and thunderstorm activity that moves through our planet’s atmosphere, from west to east, near the equator. The MJO […]
Large areas of Australia saw an above average number of lightning days this summer, with Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane all seeing 5 to 6 extra storm days during the season. Australia always sees lots of lightning during summer as hot air, abundant moisture and ample atmospheric instability combine to create ideal conditions for thunderstorms. The […]
Rain and thunderstorms will replace extreme heat over large areas of WA this week, with some places in the state’s north likely to see enough rain to officially mark the start of the wet season. In Australia, the northern wet season is defined as the date after September 1 when at least 50 mm of […]
Ex- Tropical Cyclone Lincoln should re-develop into cyclone off the Kimberley coast in WA on Friday night, before setting its sights on the Pilbara and northern Gascoyne in the next 48 hours. Lincoln will be the first Tropical Cyclone to impact WA this season, but it is the second Tropical Cyclone to move into the Western […]
Ex-Tropical cyclone Lincoln is likely to re-develop into a cyclone by Friday morning, before it sets its path towards the Pilbara or Gascoyne coasts on the weekend. The image below shows clouds rotating around ex- tropical cyclone Lincoln on Thursday morning when the system was around 270 km northwest of Broome. Image: Himawari-9 satellite imagery […]
El Niño–favourable conditions are gathering pace across the tropical Pacific, with key ocean indicators approaching threshold levels and early atmospheric responses emerging. While uncertainty remains around final El Niño strength, historical analogues show that even weak events can generate widespread impacts, including reduced rainfall, warmer daytime temperatures, increased frost risk, elevated fire danger, reduced tropical cyclone activity, and more. Industries including […]
Australia has just experienced a highly impactful tropical cyclone season, with more than 60% of systems reaching severe intensity, causing widespread disruption and damage to communities and multiple industries across northern Australia. The 2025–26 Australian tropical cyclone season officially ran from 1 November 2025 to 30 April 2026. During this six-month period, Australia saw 11 tropical cyclones, with nine […]
There are signs that a very strong, or ‘super’ El Niño could develop in the tropical Pacific Ocean later this year. So, what does this mean for Australia’s weather during the second half of 2026? El Niño on the horizon The tropical Pacific Ocean is currently in a neutral state, meaning neither El Niño nor […]
Intense heat from bushfires during elevated fire danger days can trigger fire-induced pyrocumulonimbus thunderstorms that ignite additional fires. In early January 2026, an extreme heatwave sweeping over southeastern Australia brought catastrophic fire danger to Victoria. Intensely hot bush and grass fires spread erratically and quickly in hot, dry and gusty winds, with pyrocumulonimbus generating lightning, […]
