Our capital cities should dodge the worst of it, but the first heatwave of the 2023/24 summer will affect huge parts of the country this week, having already warmed up parts of WA over the weekend. The pink zone on the map below shows areas that can expect maximum temperatures of 44°C or higher […]
November 2023 was a prolific month for thunderstorms in Australia, with 40.5 million lightning strikes detected over the Australian region in the last 30 days. Late-spring is typically a stormy time of year in Australia due to an abundance of warm air, moisture and atmospheric instability. But even by these typically stormy standards, November […]
Australia has entered summer 2023-24 under the influence of a moderate El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole. So how will these climate drivers influence Australia’s weather throughout the season and what can you expect to see in your part of the country during the next three months? Climate drivers this season The […]
There’s nothing too unusual about a burst of heat for Perth and nearby areas with summer almost upon us, but this week’s heat will be intense by November standards. On Monday afternoon, the BoM issued heatwave warnings for numerous WA forecast regions, with a three-day heatwave warning in effect in a broad strip in […]
It’s going to be a big week of stormy weather in eastern and northern Australia, especially around midweek, with the potential for severe thunderstorms, large hail, and brief bursts of heavy rainfall which could cause flash flooding. Take a look at the image below. It shows the predicted rainfall accumulation until 11 pm this coming […]
Rain and thunderstorms have been soaking Australia’s Red Centre this week, with Alice Springs picking up more than a month’s worth of rain last night. A broad area of low pressure interacting with a moisture-laden air mass has produced several days of wet and stormy weather in central Australia this week. Earlier in the week, […]
Severe thunderstorms developed in the Gascoyne and Central West districts of WA on Sunday, lashing the region with fierce wind gusts and intense bursts of rain. Over one million lightning strikes were detected in WA on Sunday and Monday morning along a low-pressure trough extending across large areas of the state. The […]
More than 8 million lightning strikes were detected over the Australian region in the past week during a prolonged outbreak of thunderstorms that will continue into the middle of November. Late-spring is always a ripe time for thunderstorms in Australia. At this time of year, warm air over the Australian continent interacts with much […]
A massive line of storms has marched its way across central NSW reaching Sydney mid-afternoon and bringing with it heavy rain, strong gusty winds, and thousands of lightning strikes. This was a storm front that looked as spectacular on radar images as it did in the sky, with shelf clouds heralding the arrival of the […]
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, […]
