Prosper in a dynamic world
Search

Unusually stormy summer for Australia, lightning data shows

Large areas of Australia saw an above average number of lightning days this summer, with Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane all seeing 5 to 6 extra storm days during the season.

Australia always sees lots of lightning during summer as hot air, abundant moisture and ample atmospheric instability combine to create ideal conditions for thunderstorms.

The map below shows the average number of thunder days in Australia during summer, based on all lightning detected by Total Lightning Network between 2014 and 2024. Storm days are defined as any day where lightning is detected close enough to cause audible thunder.

Image: Average number of thunder days in Australia during summer, based on lightning detected by Total Lightning Network (TLN) between 2014 and 2024.

In an average summer, northern and eastern Australia typically see the highest number of thunder days. There is a noticeable peak over the western Top End and Kimberley regions, with Darwin averaging around 47 thunder days per summer.

This summer saw an unusually high number of thunder days Australia’s central and eastern tropics and over most of Qld, NSW, SA, Vic, the ACT and Tas. By contrast, there were less thunder days than normal over large areas of WA and pockets of central Australia and central Qld. The maps below show the observed thunder days this summer and the correlating anomalies for the season.

Images: Observed thunder days and thunder days anomalies for summer 2023-24 in Australia.

Of Australia’s capital cities, Darwin saw the most thunder days with 42 during summer, while Hobart had the least with just two. These numbers were slightly lower than average for summer in both cities.

Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra all heard thunder more frequently than usual this summer, with each city registering around 5 to 6 extra thunder days compared to their seasonal averages.

Image: Thunder days in Australia during summer 2023-24, compared to the long-term seasonal average.

Sydney and Perth saw their average number of thunder days this summer.

To find out more about our lightning and storm services, please email us at apac.sales@dtn.com.

Latest news

Satisfy your weather obsession with these news headlines from around the nation, and the world.

How Victoria just had its warmest autumn on record

Victoria just experienced it’s warmest autumn on record, but why? Average temperatures across Victoria were 1.90°C above average throughout autumn 2025, which narrowly exceeded the old record set in 2016. Image: Temperature anomalies in Victoria from 1910 to 2025. Source: BoM. Australia as a whole was 1.41°C above average in autumn 2025, which made it […]

Perth’s wettest day in 11 months as thunderstorms slam western WA businesses

Perth just registered its wettest day since July last year and more rain is in the way for Australia’s west coast in the coming days. The first five months of 2025 were unusually dry in Perth. The city only received 96 mm of its 170 mm average for the period from the start of January to […]

Powerful storms lash New Caledonia and South Pacific

Intense rainfall and thunderstorms impacted New Caledonia early this morning, with more to come for other South Pacific islands to the east. Flooding rainfall and intense thunderstorms in New Caledonia The satellite imagery below shows an area of convergence into a low pressure trough moving over New Caledonia early on Wednesday, June 4. This convergence […]

Big wintry week of rain, snow and frost for Australia’s energy market and hydropower

Rain, storms and winds will move over western WA, while two significant lows and cold fronts will send a deep chill, rain and snow driving energy demand across Tasmania and southeastern mainland Australia, in an unmistakeable sign that winter is now here. Southwest WA Perth appears set for its heaviest rain of 2025 to date […]