After narrowly avoiding the monsoon and ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie, heat and thunderstorms are returning to the Pilbara. The build-up refers to the time between monsoon onsets, and features building heat, humidity and thunderstorms, particularly in the afternoon. The monsoon last arrived just before Christmas, heralded by the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Ellie, and lingered […]
Parts of outback Queensland have received a really good soaking in the past 24 hours, with numerous falls in the range of around 50-80 mm recorded to 9 am Wednesday in the vicinity of the outback towns of Cloncurry, Longreach and Mt Isa. Other parts of the state have also seen significant falls, and further […]
Hot temperatures are unpleasant, and occasionally dangerous to work in for the average human, but extreme temperatures also have an important impact on rail networks. The basic danger that extreme temperatures pose to rails is thermal expansion. Put simply: during hot weather, the steel rails expand, and they contract in the cold. This happens in […]
Severe storms are flaring up in Kimberley and Top End as the build-up to the monsoon ramps up. The build-up season is an unofficial season that generally runs between September and December in northern Australia. It is characterised by hot temperatures and building humidity. As the build-up continues, thunderstorms (especially in the afternoon) become […]
Rain and a few storms are on their way to the Pilbara as the official start to the wet season looms for some. A northwest cloudband is starting to develop over the Pilbara region as moisture is drawn in from tropical activity occurring near Indonesia. Over Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday, widespread falls of 10-30mm […]
A true dichotomy of weather has played out over the Northern Territory on Wednesday as a trough split the Top End in two. Video: Satellite and lightning showing the abundance of bush and grass fires in the west with powerful storms building in the east Plumes of smoke from both bushfires and grassfires can be […]
The build-up is well and truly underway in northern Australia, with showers and thunderstorms on the forecast for Darwin on most days in the coming week. Northern Australia is currently coming out of its dry season and has entered the build-up, a time of year that is characterised by rising humidity and increasing rain […]
Renewable energy is fast becoming a major source of energy across Australia and this revolution is affecting the mining industry. Energy is one of the biggest expenses for mining companies. This is being compounded by the current cost and volatility of energy amid the surging price of gas and a complex mix of international […]
Lightning is one of the most dangerous weather phenomena and awareness of its location or distance from your workplace is paramount to safety. Fortunately, Weatherzone’s lightning detection and lightning alerting systems can reduce incidents in the field, improve awareness of lightning risk and minimise down time in the field. Total Lightning Network is a […]
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, […]
