Australia should experience summer without the influence of major climate drivers like La Niña or a negative IOD, potentially heightening the risk of heatwaves, extreme heat and bushfires across parts of the country. Pacific Ocean climate driver During much of 2024, the sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific have been cooler than […]
Australia recorded its warmest spring on record, with also severe rainfall deficiencies occurring across parts of the country, setting the stage for high fire risk this summer. The Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council (AFAC) released their summer bushfire outlook for 2024 on Thursday, November 28, showing large areas of the NT, Vic and […]
After a stormy November across much of the country – especially in large parts of northern and eastern Australia in the final week of the month – the unstable pattern is set to continue into the first week of December. Image: Accumulated rainfall totals across Australia predicted by the ECMWF model for the week ending […]
A volatile weather pattern is set to cause widespread thunderstorm activity over Australia throughout the first week of summer, with severe storms likely to hit multiple states and territories. The last week of spring is featuring prolific rain and thunderstorm activity over large areas of northern and eastern Australia. This wet and stormy weather will […]
A vast area of northern and eastern Australia is set to see persistent rainfall and thunderstorm activity in coming days, with the potential for flooding in many areas. If you want to understand why, the image at the top of this story explains all. The image shows the amount of “precipitable water” in the atmosphere, […]
An outbreak of dangerous thunderstorms and heavy rainfall will impact parts of eastern Australia in the next two to three days, including the Sydney and Illawarra regions. A low pressure system centred to the southeast of SA and a series of associated troughs have brought heavy rainfall to parts of SA, Vic and southwestern […]
Rain and thunderstorms will hit part of every state and territory in Australia this week, with flash flooding a heightened risk amid the late-spring severe storm outbreak. Several factors will align to cause prolific rain and thunderstorm activity over Australia this week: A hot air mass will linger over northern and eastern Australia, providing some […]
A brief burst of heavy rain is likely to cause flash flooding along Queensland’s central coast on Thursday. A coastal trough being fed by a deep layer of moisture-laden winds coming off the Coral Sea will cause heavy rain over Qld’s central coast and adjacent inland on Wednesday night into Thursday. There also signs that […]
It’s going to be another big week of severe weather in Australia, with widespread thunderstorms hitting multiple states, heavy rain drenching central Queensland and a heatwave spreading across southern Australia. Late-spring is always a volatile time for weather in Australia and this month is living up to that reputation. Last week, daily thunderstorm activity produced […]
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 […]
