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 […]
The tap across northern Australia is turning on this week, with daily thunderstorms and rain set to break the dry season for large areas. Moisture laden air feeding into an area of low pressure across the northern tropics is behind the stormy and steamy week. The map below shows the accumulated weekly rainfall predicted […]
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 […]
