Weather in Australia 2023 and up

[Mark]

Brisbane just shivered through its coldest June morning in 23 years. The mercury in the CBD plunged to a brutal 5.2C (41.4F), the lowest since 2002. Brisbane Airport went even colder, bottoming out at 3.5C (38.3F) — its coldest June reading since 2009.

Across Queensland, thermometers plummeted well below average.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, a southerly polar air mass is acting "like a lid," trapping the cold near the ground and turning clear skies into a recipe for deep freezes. When the heat radiates out overnight, it leaves the surface freezing.

Oakey hit –4.2C (24.4F) this week, the coldest reading in the state. Applethorpe posted -3.5C (25.7F), Kingaroy dropped to -2.8C (27F), and Kyoomba bottomed out at a teeth-chattering -5.3C (22.5F), where calves were crusted in frost.

Even bigger anomalies were seen in towns north of the Tropic of Capricorn.

Mount Isa dropped to –0.7C (30.7F), its coldest June night in 44 years. Richmond recently saw –0.1C (31.8F), breaking a 25-year record, and Winton froze at 0.0C (32F)—the town’s first freezing night in over two decades.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/brisbane-freezes-through-23-year

[Mark]

Corine Brown
21 Jun 2025, 6:16 PM NZST

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Image: Minimum temperature forecast for Saturday 21 June. Source: ECMWF
Image: Minimum temperature forecast for Saturday 21 June. Source: ECMWF
If you woke up early in NSW or the ACT this Saturday morning and thought it was colder than usual, you'd be right. Just look at some of these temperature observations across parts of NSW and the ACT:





Image: Temperature observations in degrees Celsius at 7:10am AEST, Saturday, June 21, 2025. 


In some places, it was even colder than one of Australia's Antarctic research stations.


"Well, that’s a bold claim," we hear you say. "Where’s your proof?"


Well, dear readers, look no further than a comparison between the minimum temperatures at Goulburn, NSW, and Davis Station, Antarctica. Goulburn shivered through a bone-chilling –10.0°C this morning, which you can actually see in the image above, well exceeding Davis Station's minimum of –8.4°C. This was Goulburn's coldest morning in eight years and its coldest June morning in a quarter of a century. 


Not to be outdone, Cooma also left Davis Station out in the cold, reaching a minimum of –8.6°C just after sunrise today. 


Even our nation's capital gave Davis Station a run for its money. Canberra reached a frigid –7.6°C just before 6am, only 0.8°C shy of reaching Davis Station's minimum. This was Canberra's coldest morning in eight years and its coldest June morning in 39 years. 


And if you're wondering whether the nation's capital was the only place in the ACT to see temperatures below freezing, then look no further than Tuggeranong, which recorded its coldest morning since July 2018 with a minimum temperature of –7.5°C. This was also the town's coldest June morning in 25 years.


Joining the “Coldest Morning in Eight Years” Club was Condobolin, NSW, which dropped to an icy –5.5°C. Not only was this the town's coldest morning of any month in several years, it was also its coldest June morning in 27 years.


Elsewhere in NSW, minimum temperatures of note include:


Forbes (–5.5°C) - coldest morning since July 2018 and coldest June morning in 27 years 

Cowra (–3.1°C) – coldest June morning in a decade

Temora (–4.1°C) – coldest June morning in seven years

Young (–4.3°C) – coldest June morning in six years

Fowlers Gap (–0.7°C) – coldest June morning in five years

Penrith (1.1°C), Braidwood (–6.6°C) – coldest morning since July 2023

 


The reason for these especially cold temperatures? A high pressure system centred over southeast Australia, together with near-cloudless skies and a cold, particularly dry air mass aloft. You can see the combination of these factors in the image below, with the dryness of the air mass represented by dew point temperatures at 850hPa (approximately 1500m aloft) ranging from red (colder than –8°C) to brown (colder than –16°C) to purple (colder than –32°C) to white (colder than –40°C). For those unfamiliar with the principle of dew point temperatures, the dew point is the temperature at which air will become saturated with moisture and condense into dew; the lower the dew point, the drier the air is. 
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/colder-than-antarctica-coldest-morning-in-a-quarter-century-for-nsw-act-/1890677

[Mark]

t’s been a bumper start to Australia's snow season, against Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) foretellings.

Mount Hotham has been hit by a fresh dumping. The storm began midday Tuesday and intensified overnight, with a foot recorded in resort zones. Temperatures plunged to around -5.6 C (21.9 F), creating ideal conditions for powder retention.

As of of Wednesday morning (June 25), it’s a frozen landscape of deep powder, with more snow still falling.



Heavy snowfall hits Hotham.

Victoria’s other alpine areas were also hammered—Falls Creek picked up 37 cm (14.6 in) and Mount Buller logged over 20 cm (7.9 in) over the past 24 hours, marking one of the strongest seasonal openings in years.

"We had a magical delivery that started yesterday afternoon," Mt Buller spokesperson Rhylla Morgan said. "It's nice and cold, and is set to stay that way."

Resort crews worked fast to clear roads and prep lifts. The Great Alpine Road is open, though all vehicles must carry diamond-pattern snow chains—a legal requirement in alpine zones. Visibility is now good, winds are low, and lifts are running.

This comes on the heels of a massive early-June system that delivered 70 cm (27.5 in) to Falls Creek and 65 cm (25.6 in) to Hotham. Cold fronts have been frequent this month, feeding what could be one of the best seasons in decades.

This season contines to stand in stark contrast to the BOM’s "hot winter" forecasts: "The BOM expects one of Australia’s warmest winters on record with mean anomalies of ~1.5 °C above baseline."
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/australias-best-start-to-a-snow-season

[Mark]

Jess Miskelly
28 Jun 2025, 5:06 PM NZST

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Image: Frosty mornings have dominated this June in the ACT and southeast NSW. Source: Pexels: Krivec Ales
Image: Frosty mornings have dominated this June in the ACT and southeast NSW. Source: Pexels: Krivec Ales
June has been the coldest in decades over parts southeast Australia, particularly in the ACT and southeast NSW around the Southern Tablelands. 


The month started mild enough, then a vigorous cold front with a long-lasting low pressure system blasted the region over the King's birthday long weekend. Lingering high pressure cells and very dry air behind the front led to a run of nights that dropped into the severe frost territory, below -5°C. Then the pattern repeated, twice. 


Canberra and Cooma are leading the charge for the coldest stats.


Canberra is on track for its coldest June in terms of minima since 1984, averaging just -2.5°C for the month so far. With forecasts below -3°C the next two nights, that statistic is unlikely to change. Every morning, bar seven of the 28 days of the month so far, has been below zero, with a coldest-in-decades run of three consecutive days below -7°C last week. Now, the capital is heading for another four consecutive nights under –5°C. Aside from last week, that hadn’t happened in any month since 2018. 


Days in Canberra have also been cold. It's more typical for cold nights to be accompanied by near or slightly above average days, but the frequent fronts and their lingering cold airmasses and daytime low cloud have prevented that this month. Maxima for Canberra this June so far are tracking around one degree below average at 12.3°C, making the combined average of minima and maxima for the month to date just over 5.0°C. That's the coldest for June since records began in 1939. By the end of Sunday, that title could just be pipped by 1960 or 1965, but it will still have been the coldest in decades. 

https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/heading-for-the-coldest-june-in-decades-for-the-act-and-southeast-nsw-/1890691

[Mark]

Heavy rain which could bring flooding, strong winds and large surf is set to hit Australia's east coast next week.
The wintery blast will bring gusts of up to 100km/h, forecasters say, with rainfall totals reaching 300mm possible in some areas, potentially causing flooding.
Weatherzone says the potential east coast low is developing off the northern NSW coast, and will deepen on Monday.
READ MORE: UK singer makes emotional return to iconic festival after health struggle
Heavy rain which could bring flooding as well, strong winds and large surf is set to hit Australia's east coast next week.
Heavy rain which could bring flooding as well, strong winds and large surf is set to hit Australia's east coast next week. (Weatherzone)
"Showers and fresh winds could intensify into heavy and potentially flooding rainfall, and damaging winds as the system develops into a potential ECL somewhere near the NSW coastline on Tuesday, July 1," Weatherzone forecasters said.
"Rainfall accumulations of 100-200mm are possible over a period of 36-48 hours to Thursday next week, across parts of the Mid North Coast and Hunter, possibly extending as far south as the South Coast.
"The deep feed of moisture coming off the Tasman Sea could interact with local topography around the Mid North Coast, Hunter and Central Coast, with rainfall totals reaching 300mm possible in some parts."
https://www.9news.com.au/national/weather-forecast-sydney-nsw-east-coast-low/a13d37c2-0ea2-4ff9-8575-bd7332f1bc6a

[Mark]

coast, it's developing a colossal low-pressure complex covering most of the Tasman Sea.
The weather system that brought cyclone-like winds and rain can be seen from space as it moves away from Australia. As the system moves away from the east coast, it's developing a colossal low-pressure complex covering most of the Tasman Sea. (Weatherzone)
However, the ocean will still be impacted by the moving system, with large and powerful tides bringing hazardous surf conditions to the entire coast.
Winds in Sydney, the Central Coast, Wollongong, and Newcastle will reach 20km/h this morning before easing midday.
NSW will see sunny weather today with clear skies with a high of 18 degrees.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/bomb-cyclone-system-moves-away-from-east-coast/c3846d1b-6162-4229-bd37-faddeb8e26a5

[Mark]

James Wall
05 Jul 2025, 12:36 PM NZST
It’s been a busy start to the winter season for southern Australia with record breaking cold for parts of the southeast, dramatic thunderstorms in southwest WA and an East Coast Low which impacted the central and southern areas of NSW (and eastern Vic) last week, to name but a few.


The weather has taken a decidedly more settled note in the last couple of days; however, it is set to ramp up a little into the second part of the weekend. 


An approaching surface low, supported in the upper levels by a cut-off low or pool of cold air will help provide the ingredients for thunderstorms across NSW on Sunday. This will provide the necessary upper support in the atmosphere to allow mild air at the surface to rise and become unstable. Once these parcels of air rise into the upper atmosphere they cool and condense to form clouds. The unstable air continues to rise higher into the atmosphere and eventually, cumulonimbus clouds form. There are the characteristic ‘towering’ clouds that can bring lightning, heavy precipitation and strong winds. Although thunderstorms are more common in the summer months due to the additional energy provided by the sun, they are not completely unusual in the Australian winter. However, this particular weather set up is more akin to spring than winter.





ECMWF accumulated precipitation for Sunday 6th July
The thunderstorms are expected to be isolated at first across parts of central/east NSW but become scattered in places during the afternoon and evening as they spread erratically eastwards. A lot of places will miss out on the action, however, if you do manage to cop one it could pack a punch with the potential for heavy downpours, hail and strong wind gusts (locally damaging up to 90km/h).


The best chance of seeing a thunderstorm is for parts of the Central and northern Tablelands, the Hunter as well as the central coast (including Sydney and Newcastle) and Central Western Slopes and Plains. Keep an eye on the radar if you have outdoor plans in these regions.


The weather across NSW will return to a more settled note early next week with the action reserved for southern and central parts of both SA and Vic with a deep low over the Southern Ocean bringing stormy conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday.


To stay up to date with all the latest forecasts check https://www.weatherzone.com.au

https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/winter-strikes-again-with-thunderstorms-forecast-for-areas-of-nsw-on-sunday-/1890712

[Mark]

By Mikala Theocharous
12:49pm Jul 10, 2025
NSW is set to be lashed with wild weather again, with fresh severe damaging wind warnings for the state.
Damaging winds are developing today over the southeastern and central parts of the state, including Sydney, Woolongong and Newcastle, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Specifically, residents in Wollongong, Nowra, Kiama, Ulladulla, Sydney Airport, Campbelltown, Goulburn, Bowral, Katoomba, Newcastle and Maitland will cop the brunt of the winds.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/weather-news-damaging-winds-to-hit-nsw-again-bureau-warns/2a3cdecb-a5ed-4f68-844b-0cb5f408551a

[Mark]

Ben Domensino
11 Jul 2025, 12:05 AM NZST

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Image: Australia has never recorded a financial year as warm as 2024-25. Source: iStock / Siwawut
Image: Australia has never recorded a financial year as warm as 2024-25. Source: iStock / Siwawut
The data is in, and Australia just registered its warmest financial year on record with a mean temperature more than 1.5°C above the long-term average.


It may seem odd to measure the climate of Australia’s fiscal year, but there are benefits to compiling climate summaries for the 12-month period from July to June.


Firstly, the July-to-June period contains one whole summer (and severe weather season) in Australia. This can make it a good alternative to using calendar years for annual climate summaries, which split summers but contain whole winters.


Secondly, financial year climate summaries can be aligned with other reporting processes that occur over the July-to-June period. This makes it easier for researchers and analysts to compare climate information with other datasets over the same period.


A financial year like no other

Based on temperature observations collected from 112 weather stations across the country, Australia's national mean temperature in the 2024-25 financial year was 1.68°C above the 1961-90 average. This made it Australia’s warmest financial year in records dating back to 1910, beating the previous record from 2015-16 by 0.28°C.
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/australias-warmest-financial-year-on-record/1890723

[Mark]

A strong cold front will pass over Tasmania today, bringing with it intense north to northwesterly winds as well as rain and isolated thunderstorms. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a Severe Weather Warning for Damaging winds across Tasmania today. The system is expected to sweep across the state, reaching western areas in the early afternoon, central regions in the mid-afternoon, and moving east by evening. As the front passes, winds will shift to a more westerly direction and gradually subside.


Damaging wind gusts have already been observed in elevated locations, including gusts of 107km/h at Scotts Peak and 113km/h at Mount Wellington this morning. Furthermore, a gust of 98km/h at Maria Island at noon was the strongest gusts observed at that location in more than 9 months.


High-elevation areas such as the Central Plateau and Mount Wellington will continue to face the most severe threat this afternoon. Here, damaging winds may average 70 to 80 km/h, with isolated gusts possibly exceeding 120km/h within heavy showers and thunderstorms.
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/tasmania-braces-for-powerful-winds/1890741

[Mark]

It has been a mediocre week for snowfalls in the Australian mainland alpine region, but despite only minor top-ups since last weekend, the snow depth is the best for July since 2021.


The depth at Spencers Creek (elevation 1830m, roughly halfway between the NSW resorts of Perisher and Thredbo) was around 160cm this Friday, July 18.


Here's how that compares to the officially recorded peak depth at Spencers Creek in July over the last four years:


2024: 124.6cm on July 30 (also the season peak)
2023: 131cm on July 13 (also the season peak)
2022: 129.5cm on July 27 (the season kept improving with a late peak of 232cm on September 20)
2021: 183.6cm on July 29 (the season peak)
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/deepest-july-australian-snowpack-in-four-years/1890739

[Mark]

It isn't just eastern Australia that's shivering. Perth just posted its coldest morning since July 2010, with 0.3C (32.5F) registered at the city’s Mt Lawley station.

Suburbs saw even harsher readings: Jandakot dropped to -1.3C (29.7F), Perth Airport and Swan Valley hit -0.8C (30.6F), and Gingin froze at -2.2C (28F).

Mandurah set a new record for summer cold with 3.9C (39F), breaking its previous low of 4.4C (39.9F) from 2015. The wind chill took it down to -2.3C (27.9F).

A cold pool of air trailing a storm front is to blame, with clear skies overnight removing any insulating cloud cover.

As for daily highs, Perth barely reached 14C (57F) -- its coldest day in years. Garden Island managed just 13.3C (55.9F), while Bunbury saw its coldest July day on record at 12.6C (54.7F).

Another freezing morning is expected Saturday before a new front brings showers and the chance of thunderstorms on Sunday.

Across the Tasman, New Zealand is also freezing.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/perth-shivers-western-europe-chills

[Mark]

A colossal low pressure system—nearly half the size of the Australian mainland—is gripping central and eastern Australia. Spanning around 3.4 million km², its vast footprint is so extensive that tracing its boundary would take you on a 9,000 km journey. For perspective, that’s further than driving from Perth to Brisbane and back—twice.


This massive system is triggering warnings for damaging winds across NSW, Tas, and Vic, bringing showers and rain to the east and southeast, along with thunderstorms over southeast Qld.


Rainfall totals over the past 24 hours were as follows:


SA: 15–70 mm;
Vic: 15–60 mm;
Tas and NSW: 15–35 mm;
Qld: 15–50 mm.

A number of locations recorded their highest daily July rainfall in decades:


SA:
• Adelaide (West Terrace/Ngayirdapira): 29 mm – highest in 47 years;
• Edithburgh: 34 mm – highest in over 30 years;
• Mt Crawford AWS: 46 mm – highest in 30 years;
• Multiple other sites: highest July totals in 5 to 30 years.


Vic:
• Longerenong: 29 mm – highest in 52 years;
• Ararat: 29 mm – highest in 35 years;
• Mildura: 19 mm – highest in 35 years;
• Stawell: 32 mm – highest in 29 years;
• Swan Hill: 24 mm – highest in 27 years;
• Horsham Aerodrome: 24 mm – highest in 27 years.


As the trough pushed through the eastern inland, it sparked a remarkable 1,600 km-long line of thunderstorms stretching from Mt Isa through the outback of Qld into northern NSW. Warm and humid air from the northwest Indian Ocean and the Coral Sea to the northeast clashed with much colder southern air, fuelling the activity. Some outback locations in Qld also recorded notable falls. Thargomindah Airport received 22 mm, marking its highest daily July rainfall total in 5 years, while Charleville Aerodrome recorded 24 mm, the highest daily July rainfall in 3 years.
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/colossal-low-pressure-system-grips-eastern-australia/1890757

[Mark]

After a grim preseason outlook, the Australian Alps are turning it on. A string of solid July storms has pushed bases to their highest levels in years.

Resorts like Hotham have seen more than 40 cm (16 in) from the latest system alone (through overnight Sunday), driving the base to a season's high of 123 cm (40.5 in).

All lifts are now spinning.




A developing negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is set to pump yet more moisture into southeastern Australia through late winter, stacking the odds for further storms. Latest models call for above-average precipitation from August through October.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/australias-snow-season-delivers-record

[Mark]

Anthony Sharwood
02 Aug 2025, 3:33 PM NZST

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Image: Guyra was covered in up to 15cm of snow by midday on August 2, 2025. Source: Shane Battistuzzi
Image: Guyra was covered in up to 15cm of snow by midday on August 2, 2025. Source: Shane Battistuzzi
Some of the heaviest snowfalls in years have turned the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales into a white, wintry landscape more reminiscent of the Snowy Mountains in the state’s south.


Up to 15cm of snow was reported by midday in the town of Guyra (population approx. 2000) by local Shane Battistuzzi, who took these pictures of his yard and nearby areas after the snowfall began around 7am.


The snow soon started to accumulate rapidly. This was the scene at 8am.





Image: Guyra begins to turn white on the morning of Saturday, August 2, 2025. Source: Shane Battistuzzi.


By 10am, the snow was already noticeably deeper in Mr Battistuzzi’s yard.





Image: The snow just kept on coming down in Guyra on the morning of Saturday, August 2, 2025. Source: Shane Battistuzzi.


And this was a view of a nearby landscape in town at midday.





Image: Guyra’s exotic trees gave the town a distinctly European appearance under a blanket of snow by midday on Saturday, August 2, 2025. Source: Shane Battistuzzi.


Guyra, at an elevation of 1330m, is the highest town of any significant size in Australia outside of the alpine region.


For the organisers of the town’s annual Guyra Snow Ball, the timing of today’s weather could hardly have been more perfect. The ball takes place this evening and bills itself as a "guaranteed fabulous freezing night out!
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/heavy-snow-blankets-nsw-northern-tablelands/1890774

[Mark]

After a period of prolonged rainfall deficiencies, large parts of South Australia have finally enjoyed a much wetter-than-average month, with July 2025 being the wettest in 27 years.


SA's statewide July average rainfall of 30.5mm doesn’t sound like a huge amount in raw terms, but it includes relatively low totals from the state’s far north. In short, July 2025 was:


South Australia's wettest July since 1998
57% above the state’s long-term July rainfall average
Just the second month to date in 2025 with above-average statewide rainfall
The wettest July in over 100 years of records at numerous locations

The chart below shows South Australian rainfall deciles in July 2025.
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/south-australias-wettest-july-in-27-years/1890772

[Mark]

Flash flooding has left drivers trapped, homes inundated and streets swamped in Perth.
https://www.9news.com.au/videos/national/flash-flooding-leaves-drivers-trapped-homes-inundated-in-perth/cmdu430hp00120hnt9x49qhbj

[Mark]

https://youtu.be/PEOmpTm6n6A?si=hjq9m5QPF7vQGnwA
On Saturday, August 2, visitors flocked to the New South Wales town of Guyra, braving harsh conditions and long travel times to experience a rare heavy snowfall.

Locals and tourists embraced the winter wonderland, engaging in snowball fights, building snowmen, snapping photos, and even celebrating a surprise engagement. Brendan Gough, a visitor from Queensland, saw snow for the first time, describing it as a “surreal experience.”

The snowfall created challenging conditions on the roads, with the New South Wales State Emergency Service responding to over 100 vehicles stranded in the snow, according to a statement released on Sunday.

[Mark]

Since 1986, Australia has measured coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, coral surged to the highest levels ever recorded. 2025 cover is holding strong — but now only the fourth highest on record: cue catastrophe headlines.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science publishes regional coral cover data yearly. Using weighted averages from official sources, the reef over the past few years is the healthiest we've ever known it. These numbers don’t lie.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/great-barrier-reef-holding-strong

[Mark]

Ben Domensino
08 Aug 2025, 4:51 PM NZST

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Image: There will be more rain in Sydney this weekend. Source: iStock / SolStock.
Image: There will be more rain in Sydney this weekend. Source: iStock / SolStock.
There has only been one completely dry day in Sydney so far this month and the city will see more wet weather this weekend, continuing its wettest August in 9 years.


In an average August, Sydney would typically receive about 80 mm of rain during the entire month. But this August has already exceeded this long-term average, with 98 mm of rain accumulating in the city during the eight days ending at 9am on Friday, August 8.


Despite only being 8 days into the month, this is already Sydney’s wettest August since 2016. It has also been the city’s 11th wettest start to August in 168 years of records.


Unfortunately for Sydneysiders who prefer dry days and uninterrupted weekend sport, more rain is likely to soak Sydney and surrounding areas on Saturday and Sunday.
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/sydneys-wettest-august-in-9-years-to-get-even-wetter-this-weekend/1890788