New model data confirms that a La Niña-like pattern could persist in the coming months, increasing the likelihood of above-average rain in parts of Australia in winter and spring. The Pacific Ocean has been in a distinctive La Niña pattern since late last year and during the last fortnight, this pattern has no signs of […]
A relentless band of heavy rain is falling over already flooded area in southeast QLD this morning, cutting roads, inundating homes, and forcing some residents to flee to higher ground. A slow-moving upper-level trough interacting with a sustained stream of moisture-laden air from Coral Sea has caused widespread rain and flooding across QLD this […]
Western Australia is copping a bit of everything today, with warnings in place for damaging winds, flash flooding and fires. A stream of moisture being carried south from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Karim is interacting with a cold front passing over Western Australia today, producing widespread rain and thick cloud cover. Image: Composite satellite […]
Thick clouds and heavy rain have continued to spread across Australia’s eastern states today after inundating parts of QLD with five months’ worth of rain over the last few days. Large areas of western, northern and central QLD have experienced unseasonably heavy rain and flooding this week as an airborne river of tropical moisture clashed with […]
Unseasonably heavy rain will spread across northern and central QLD during the next 48 hours, after the heaviest May rain in a decade inundated roads in the state’s west. Almost all of QLD is hidden beneath a thick layer of cloud today as moisture-laden winds from the Coral Sea clash with an upper-level trough passing over […]
New data from the U.S. Climate Prediction Centre shows that La Niña is persisting in the Pacific Ocean at a strength not seen during May for more than two decades. The temperature of the central equatorial Pacific Ocean – an area called the Nino 3.4 region – is one of the key indices used […]
A rare late-autumn deluge will inundate QLD this week, causing life-threatening flooding and significant transport disruptions across the state. A sustained stream of atmospheric moisture feeding into a slow-moving upper-level trough will produce widespread and heavy rain across the state during the next 4 to 5 days. This weather pattern is very unusual for […]
A late-season tropical cyclone over the Indian Ocean will fuel rainfall over southwestern Australia later this week. Australia’s tropical cyclone season officially ended more than a week ago April 30th. However, unusually warm water over the eastern Indian Ocean has helped spawn an out-of-season tropical cyclone just inside the western boundary of Australia’s area of […]
A dangerous multi-day deluge is likely to cause flooding in parts of QLD and NSW next week, however there is still a lot of uncertainty about how much rain will fall and which areas will be affected. What can be said about this event, now An upper-level cut-off low is expected to move across […]
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 […]
