The oceans off the NSW and Qld coast are extremely warm and theoretically could provide enough energy to bring a tropical cyclone into NSW waters. The map below shows that the temperatures off the Coffs Coast and north are currently above 26.5 °C, which is 2-3°C above average for this time of year. […]
Australia’s west will be gripped by a severe to extreme heatwave during the remainder of this week, with temperatures set to exceed 40ºC in Perth and reach close to 50ºC in the Gascoyne. A stubborn ridge of high pressure located to the south of Australia will direct hot and dry air towards the west […]
Some weather models are hinting at the possibility of yet another tropical cyclone, after Jasper and Kirrily, to develop in the Coral Sea and make landfall over the Queensland coast. But how likely is this to happen at this stage? Thumbnail image: Severe Tropical Cyclone Kirrily at landfall. Source: Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere […]
Be grateful if you’re lucky enough to be working indoors in air conditioning for the rest of the working week in Perth, as temps are set to keep sizzling until the weekend. This Wednesday is day two of a four-day heatwave in western and southwestern WA, with Perth heading for a top of 39°C this […]
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily was declared on Wednesday evening and will cross the Queensland coast on Thursday evening. The most likely time of landfall is around 8 pm AEST, although it could occur anytime between about 6 pm and midnight. The most likely location for landfall is just north of Townsville around Magnetic Island although the […]
Despite the unexpectedly sluggish development of a tropical low over the Coral Sea, a tropical cyclone named Kirrily is still expected to hit the east coast of Qld tomorrow night. A tropical low has been spinning over the central and eastern Coral Sea over the last few days, threatening to become a tropical cyclone. However, […]
A tropical low will cause heavy rain and thunderstorms across northwestern Australia later this week, with flooding possible in parts of the Pilbara. A slow-moving tropical low has caused persistent rain over parts of the NT during the past on to two, producing several hundred millimetres in some areas. Elliot’s 433 mm during the […]
A severe tropical cyclone could hit eastern Queensland later this week, bringing a risk of heavy rain, flooding, destructive winds and a dangerous storm tide. At 10am AEST on Monday, January 22, a tropical low was located over the central Coral Sea, roughly 860 km to the east northeast of Townsville. Image: Visible true-colour satellite […]
A tropical low, soon to be named Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, is expected to make landfall over Queensland this week as a category 3 strength system. At 11am AEST Sunday, Tropical Low 05U was about 940 km east northeast of Townsville, with wind gusts up to 85km/h and was slow-moving. This large mass of swirling cloud […]
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, […]
