Unusually forceful waves are assaulting the Sydney coastline today. However, these waves have a peculiar quirk: they are not that big. So how can they be considered ‘powerful’? Waves this morning have been measured peaking at 4.5m off the Sydney Coast, with the highest third of waves (the significant wave height) averaging about 2.3m. While […]
The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) – one of the main broad-scale mechanisms influencing Australia’s climate – just reached one if its strongest positive levels on record. What is the SAM? The SAM refers to the north-south displacement of the powerful westerly wind belt that flows around Antarctica throughout the year. These westerly winds carry the […]
Waves measuring more than 14 metres in height have been observed off the NSW coast today as a powerful low pressure system churns the Tasman Sea. A mass of cold polar air passing over the Tasman Sea caused a dynamic low pressure system to develop near the NSW coast on Sunday and gain strength into […]
A waterspout was spotted just off the Sydney coast on Sunday. These beautiful and sometimes violent systems are often spotted off the Australian coast at this time of year, so we go through some frequently asked questions about them. Image: A waterspout spotted off the Sydney Coast on Sunday. It is likely the waterspout is […]
Tropical Cyclone Ilsa continues to intensify on Thursday morning, with a wind gust of 235 km/h recorded at 7am Rowley Shoals, a trio of tiny coral atolls located 300 km west of Broome. This is the strongest wind gust recorded anywhere in Australia since TC Debbie in 2017 Ilsa is now a Category 4 cyclone […]
A tropical cyclone is expected to develop near Australia this weekend and may make landfall along the north coast of WA mid-to-late next week. A tropical low formed on Wednesday night about 550km NNE of Darwin, above the warm tropical water of the Arafura Sea. While the low itself isn’t too impressive on satellite imagery […]
Severe Tropical Cyclone Herman developed, reached a category 5 system and weakened all within the space of five days. The Bureau of Meteorology named Tropical Cyclone Herman at 8pm WST on Wednesday 29th. Within 36 hours of forming, it went from a category 1 system with winds exceeding 100km/h to a powerful category 5 system […]
A low pressure system located off the northwest coast of Australia is expected to become a tropical cyclone within the next 24 hours. The animation below shows a tropical low located near the Cocos-Keeling Islands on Wednesday morning. At 8am AWST, the centre of this low was roughly 380 km east of Cocos Island and […]
Global ocean temperatures have rebounded to record-challenging high levels this week as our planet shakes off the cooling influence of La Niña. Earth’s ocean temperatures have been rising in recent decades due to the ongoing warming influence of climate change. According to data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the global ocean […]
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 […]
