Cyclone Mocha could lead to a hot dry spring in Australia
Tropical Cyclone Mocha, which devastated Myanmar and Bangladesh earlier this month, may have set off a chain-reaction in the Indian Ocean Dipole that will lead to a hot, dry spring in Australia this year. Tropical Cyclone Mocha was a...
Melbourne’s coldest six-day May spell in 42 years
Melbourne has just had its coldest six-day period in May for 42 years, with more cold weather to come. For six days straight between last Tuesday and Sunday, Melbourne’s maximum failed to exceed 15°C. That hasn’t happened since May...
Southern Oscillation Index hits El Nino threshold
A key atmospheric indicator in the Pacific Ocean region has just surpassed the accepted threshold for El Niño, increasing the likelihood of abnormally dry and warm weather in Australia later this year. There has been a lot of talk...
Australian 2023 snow season outlook
Australia could see a lacklustre snow season this year if an anticipated unfavourable combination of Pacific and Indian Ocean climate drivers comes to fruition. The Australian snow season is notoriously fickle. Some years can see heaps of snow coming...
Southern Annular Mode hits near-record level
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...
One month’s rain soaks Gold Coast overnight
Parts of southeast Qld just received more than a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours, with some areas on the Gold Coast collecting around 100 mm in six hours overnight. A low pressure trough and developing low pressure...
Wet night ahead for southeast QLD and northeast NSW
Heavy rain will soak parts of southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales on Monday night into Tuesday morning, with some places at risk of flooding. An upper-level trough passing over southern Qld on Monday will allow a surface...
Atmosphere holding back El Nino outlook
Despite the ocean giving clear signs that El Niño could form later this year, a lack of feedback from the atmosphere is giving forecasters a reason to be cautious in their outlook. An abrupt period of warming across the...
