Australia’s 2022-23 tropical cyclone season is here
The 2022-23 Australian tropical cyclone season has officially started, and all signs point towards an above average cyclone season in the Australian region over the next six months. The Australian cyclone season runs from November to April. During this...
Late spring freeze heading for the southeast
A huge pool of cold Antarctic air is being hurled northwards by a deep low pressure system near Tasmania, and it’s going to make much of southeastern Australia feel as cold as the bitterest day in July. Strong cold...
Canberra breaks October rainfall record
We’ve seen no shortage of places across the eastern half of Australia break their rainfall record this soggy October, and the nation’s capital is the latest. Weather records have been kept in Canberra since 1939, and the old record...
Summery warmth returns to the NEM
Temperatures above 35 degrees are returning to the National Electricity Market as the lead-up to summer begins. Weatherzone’s forecast model Opticast predicts temperatures to reach 36°C at Rockhampton, 35°C at Gympie, and 34°C at Bundaberg, Cairns and Townsville. In...
Hybrid cyclone to drench parts of NSW, Vic this week
A hybrid cyclone looks set to form off the east coast of Victoria on Tuesday, producing heavy rain. But what is a hybrid cyclone and how difficult are they to forecast? The sequence of satellite images below shows two...
How historically significant is Victoria’s flooding?
Some rivers in northern Victoria are currently experiencing their biggest flood event in decades. So, just how does this month’s flooding stack up against other big floods of the past? A huge amount of water has been dumped into...
How well does the wind blow off the Illawarra and Newcastle coasts?
Over the past year, there has been a lot of interest in building offshore wind farms off the Illawarra and Newcastle coasts of NSW. But why is this area receiving the most attention? The climate of the Illawarra &...
Tropics flare to life as the MJO reveals itself over Australia
The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) has become active over Australia – but what is the MJO and what does it mean? The MJO is an eastward-moving pulse of tropical activity. When it is active, it brings an increase...