A strong positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is about to occur in the Southern Hemisphere, increasing the likelihood of wet weather in eastern Australia and reducing snow prospects in southern Australia over the coming week. What is the SAM? The SAM is an index that measures the north-south displacement of a belt […]
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) index has dropped below -0.4°C – the critical threshold for a negative IOD event if sustained. Could Australia see its first negative IOD event since 2022? What is the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)? The IOD is a measure of the difference in Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) across the equatorial Indian […]
A cold Southern Ocean air mass will spread across Australia this week, causing a run of wintry days and nights for much of the country before possibly culminating in heavy rain along the east coast. The image below shows a tongue of cold air extending from the Southern Ocean towards southwestern Australia on Monday. This […]
Significant rain has fallen across the southwest of WA, with Perth recording 41mm in the 24 hours to 9am Monday, making it the city’s wettest day in just over a year. This latest soaking means that Perth has now exceeded its average monthly rainfall, with 174.2mm in the gauge for July 2025 to date, compared […]
A strong cold front crossing WA is drawing a deep feed of tropical moisture and rainfall across nearly the whole state, impacting mining hubs. Well before dawn on Thursday, a quick but intense burst of rain crossed over Port Hedland, delivering 12mm in the 30 minutes to just after 3am. Across the whole night, the […]
A massive northwest cloudband is starting to spread rain across about 80 percent of Australia, including much-needed falls in drought-affected areas of southern Australia. A cut-off low pressure system will interact with a stream of tropical moisture over the next four to five days, producing one of the biggest rainbands Australia has seen in recent […]
The southwestern tip of Western Australia is the latest corner of the country to see exceptionally heavy winter rainfall, with 24-hour totals topping 100mm at some locations, and over 250,000 lightning strikes causing costly shutdown procedures. Storms and heavy downpours pelted much of the South West Land Division on Wednesday as a cold front and […]
Signals of a negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) developing in the coming months could bring increased risk of heavy rainfall, severe thunderstorms and tropical cyclones for the mining sector. Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) The IOD is a measure of the difference in sea surface temperatures across the equatorial Indian Ocean. A negative IOD occurs when […]
Weather such as low cloud, fog, gusty winds, dispersion of dust, smoke and other pollutants, and blast sound shockwaves can all be the result of inversions and have significant impacts on safe and responsible mining operations. What is a temperature inversion? In the troposphere, the atmosphere layer closest to the ground and where most of […]
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, […]
