Positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) strengthening
A positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) event is gaining strength to the northwest of Australia, increasing the risk of hot and dry weather and fires in the coming months. What is the IOD? The IOD is an index that...
Queenstown hit by the worst floods in 24 years, with heavy rain now hitting the country’s north
Worst Floods in 24 Years Hit Queenstown as Rain Sweeps North Queenstown, a popular town on New Zealand’s South Island, faced a drenching last week, leading to the swift evacuation of hundreds as waters rapidly rose. A slow-moving low-pressure...
Hail events increasing in some Australian cities
Hailstorms are one of Australia’s most costly natural disasters. New research suggests that they are becoming more frequent in some of Australia’s cities. What is hail? Hailstones are made of layers of ice which form in thunderstorm updraughts. Hailstones...
Heatwave to snow on Alps
Light snow has fallen across Tasmania and the alpine areas of New South Wales and Victoria on a day when Victoria’s last ski resort (Falls Creek) closed, proving the weather gods have a cruel sense of humour. Snow was...
Is this heatwave a sign of things to come this summer?
Spring has kicked off with a sweltering heatwave in Australia, with the mercury soaring well above average in many states and territories this week. So, is this abnormal early-season heatwave a sign of what’s to come this summer? What is...
68 NSW fires burning, 17 unconfined
The heatwave continues in New South Wales, with summer-like temperatures and summer-like fire danger. On Thursday morning, there were 68 bushfires burning, 17 of them uncontained, as dangerous winds pick up strength ahead of a southerly change due later...
El Nino and positive IOD declared
The Bureau of Meteorology has today declared the arrival of El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), a climate driver double-up that significantly increases the likelihood of unusually warm and dry weather across large areas of Australia...
Monitoring El Nino in a warming climate
Scientists are developing a new way to classify El Niño in a warming climate as rising ocean temperatures make existing methods less effective. This research, led by a team of international scientists, may even shed light on why...
