Weather in Australia 2023 and up

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Thousands of residents in Perth Hills have spent the day cleaning up after a freak storm swept through the area.
The microburst lasted just minutes and tore through multiple suburbs after 6pm (AWST) yesterday.
Strong winds of 100km/h uprooted trees, downed power lines, sent debris flying and damaged homes across several communities.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/wa-communities-clean-up-after-freak-storm-smashes-multiple-suburbs/8a72b1c0-1104-44d2-b155-0e52ceff0823

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Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred (Category 3) is over Coral Sea close to Queensland coast this Saturday before moving further away from the coast during Sunday and Monday.


 


Image: A four-hour infrared satellite loop in the early hours of Saturday morning, March 1st, showing Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred to the east of Qld.


 


Despite the uncertainty about the track of this system in the mid week, Alfred is moving close to the coast this weekend, and severe coastal hazards are likely for southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales. 


 


According to the BoM "A large and powerful to potentially damaging easterly swell as well as abnormally high tides are developing about exposed central and southern Queensland beaches from later today, and possibly to northern New South Wales from Sunday or Monday. "

https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/severe-cyclone-alfred-brings-dangerous-swells-and-high-tides-/1890412

[Mark]

A massive clean up is underway in Western Australia after a second microburst in just three weeks pummelled the south west.
The storm first hit Perth, hard, ripping roofs of homes in the foothills and tearing up trees.
As the monster weather system moved south, it was still packing a punch as it hit Albany early this morning, dumping a record amount of rain on the south coast town.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/western-australia-weather-news-second-microburst-in-three-weeks-delivers-record-rainfall-to-albany/e16bbe1d-547c-43c5-b8b5-dc3b41ee4bd4

[Mark]

Multiple parts of the country are bracing for heatwave conditions over the weekend with authorities warning people to plan ahead and stay informed.
The mini heatwave will largely impact parts of south-eastern Australia over the coming days in a short and sharp burst of hot weather.
Temperatures will nudge 40 degrees Celsius in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney from today until Sunday as warm, dry north-easterly winds blanket multiple states and territories.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-weather-update-temperatures-to-plunge-after-weekend-mini-heatwave/bf532548-2221-40a2-b0fa-fb9223988bd4

[Mark]

The city received 301.4mm of rain from 9am Tuesday to 9am yesterday, making it Townsville's heaviest day of rain in 27 years.
The majority of the severe rain fell between 1am and 9am, with residents waking up to roads swamped and their homes inundated by flash flooding.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/weather-news-townsville-record-breaking-rain-highest-in-27-years-flooding/41f67c0d-9879-4b48-bad6-63e978810df1

[Mark]

Perth is set to endure a prolonged spell of abnormally hot March weather next week, with the city on track to register its hottest five-day spell in 40 years this late in the season.


While Perth is no stranger to intense bouts of heat during summer, March is typically a time of year when temperatures start to moderate in southwestern Australia.


This March, however, is showing no signs of leaving summer behind, with maximum temperatures in Perth predicted to reach 31 to 38°C for at least the next 10 days, which is about 1 to 8°C above average for this time of year.


Next week could feature a five-day stretch with daytime maximum temperatures reaching 36 to 38°C. If this happens, it would be the first time since 1985 that Perth has had five days over 36°C this late in March.
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/perth-to-experience-lateseason-heatwave-not-seen-for-40-years/1890466

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More than 100 homes have been inundated and dozens of people airlifted to safety as the flood emergency escalates in western Queensland.
It is now the biggest weather event many residents have ever experienced and there are fears stock losses will hit the hundreds of thousands.
"Levels of the Thompson River have hit about 8.6 metres and are expected to rise. That is higher than the 1974 level," Premier David Crisafulli said
https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-floods-more-than-100-homes-inundated-and-dozens-of-locals-airlifted-to-safety-in-flood-emergency/40fa2683-9c2d-4b80-ac4c-fdc82bd59060

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An Australian beach has recorded a strange phenomenon, one that experts say has a lesser likelihood of happening than being struck by lighting. Meteorologists detected off the coast of Sydney what they are calling a long period between waves. They say that this is highly unusual to happen at this time of the year, Nine News reported.

A wave period almost triple the normal length expected was seen at Freshwater Beach Tuesday morning. The time that passes between consecutive two wave crests hitting a certain point was noted to be 22 seconds long, according to Weatherzone. A normal wave period, according to experts, is between 8 and 12 seconds.

Longer wave periods are also known as groundswells and can generate extremely powerful waves. The Manly laboratory says this is one of the largest wave periods recorded in the country since 1992.
https://www.sott.net/article/498629-Less-likely-than-being-struck-by-lightning-Australian-beach-witnesses-rare-occurrence-unusually-long-period-between-waves

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Large stretches of the NSW coast remain under a hazardous surf warning today as the clean-up from the monster waves continues.
A low-pressure system in the southern Tasman Sea has been generating large and powerful waves along the NSW coast this week.
The Bureau of Meteorology says heavy surf today is expected to be hazardous for activities such as rock fishing, boating, and swimming, on beaches from Eden, south of Sydney, to Bryon on the far north coast.
LIVE UPDATES: Donald Trump's long-heralded 'Liberation Day'

Surfers tackled big swells at Ben Buckler, North Bondi, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Photo: ack Tanner/SMH) (Nine)
NSW Police Marine Area Command is urging people to stay out of the sea and avoid walking near surf-exposed areas.
Sailors crossing shallow water and ocean bars should consider changing or delaying their voyage. 
Boats already on the water should carry the appropriate safety equipment, including lifejackets. Crews should log on with their local Marine Rescue radio base.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-weather-update-hazardous-surf-warning-for-coastal-areas/e0afa61c-a6fb-48eb-b6e1-add23fb01914

[Mark]

A burst of wintry weather will hit Tasmania this weekend, delivering a mix of snow, small hail, rain and blustery winds.


A pair of cold fronts will sweep across Tasmania during the next three days, one on Friday night and another on Sunday.





Image: Satellite image showing a cold front located to the south of Australia on Friday morning.


The first front will cause wind and rain to increase late on Friday as temperatures take a dive into the evening. It should get cold enough for snow to fall to about 700m above sea level on Friday night into Saturday morning, possibly a bit lower. This has prompted a Bush Walkers Weather Alert in the Western and Central Plateau districts, and a Warning to Sheep Graziers in the North West Coast, Midlands, Upper Derwent Valley and the South East districts. Western parts of the state could also see small hail at times on Saturday.


Wind and showers will ease briefly on Saturday morning before increasing again late Saturday into Sunday, ahead of and with the passage of the second cold front. This second frontal system will be stronger than the first, with a good chance of damaging wind gusts in some parts of the state. There will also be more rain, highland snow and small hail in the mix on Sunday.
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/twin-cold-fronts-bringing-snow-to-tasmania-this-weekend/1890500

[Mark]

The extent of flood waters that have engulfed Queensland over the past fortnight is so widespread it has covered an area more than four times the size of the United Kingdom. The inundation is larger than France and Germany combined - and is even bigger than Texas.

The seemingly endless plains of outback Queensland are so vast and remote as to boggle any attempts to visualise the scale of what is being described as one of the most devastating floods in living memory.

The Bureau of Meteorology said on Friday that the flooding had "severely impacted" more catchments spanning about 1m sq km since prolonged downpours began drenching south-west and central Queensland on 23 March.

To put that in perspective, Tasmania is 15 times smaller (64,519 sq km or 24,911 sq miles); the land area of the United Kingdom is 241,930 sq km, and Texas is 695,662 sq km.
https://www.sott.net/article/498835-Bigger-than-Texas-the-true-size-of-Australias-devastating-floods

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Y7kFGGw_bUc?feature=share

[Mark]

Farmers in Queensland, Australia have suffered huge losses after floods engulfed over half a million square kilometres of the outback, causing carnage to farms and livestock.

The most recent figures from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI) suggest over 144,000 livestock, mostly cattle, sheep and goats, have been killed by the floods which were the result of heavy rains across the State.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, some towns had recorded as much as 500mm (20 inches) of rain in the space of a week, which is the typical yearly total for the region.

The devastating floods come a few weeks after Cyclone Alfred did its damage, hitting Queensland's southeast coast and northern New South Wales.

As the floodwaters ease, more realistic figures of the true extent of the damage are likely to increase significantly as more dead livestock are revealed. It is also estimated that 3,183kms of fencing has been impacted, along with 4,076kms of private roads.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jt1C-Sa_uXE?feature=share

https://www.sott.net/article/498955-Over-144000-livestock-dead-after-huge-floods-cause-carnage-in-northeast-Australia

[Mark]

Tropical Cyclone Tam had a short-lived life as a tropical cyclone this week, but as drier mid-latitude air wrapped around the ex-tropical system, the central pressure of the system rapidly dropped. Through a process called explosive cyclogenesis, the pressure of the system dropped 18hPa in 24 hours, classifying it as a bombing Tasman Low. As seen in the image below, powerful winds reaching 45-50 knots (85-90 km/h) were circulating around the system on Wednesday.
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/extropical-cyclone-tam-brings-huge-waves-to-nsw-coast-on-good-friday/1890531

[Mark]

Millions of Australians may need to switch up their long weekend plans as the east coast prepares for an Anzac Day deluge.
A cool change is sweeping across New South Wales and Victoria this week and a low pressure system is forecast to bring a rainy washout from now until Sunday.
While some capital cities will enjoy some pleasantly warm temperatures for late April, dark clouds threaten to cast a gloomy shadow over the three-day weekend.
READ MORE: How the teal and other independents could shape the federal election
Rainy weather Anzac Day Australia
Victoria and NSW are in for a wet long weekend. (Windy.com)
New South Wales
In Sydney, around 46mm of rain is expected to drench the city across the three-day long weekend after an already wet start to the week.
The temperature will remain balmy with a top of 25 degrees on Friday but showers may dampen any campers hoping the make the most of the final blast of April warmth.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/anzac-day-weather-forecast-australia-2025-state-by-state-guide/f6b0ba2b-2226-4d4c-b162-bae1fdcc5c7f

[Mark]

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning as thunderstorms develop across Sydney and surrounding regions.
Hail has been reported in parts of Sydney, with the bureau warning storm cells could bring heavy rainfall and flash flooding across the state.
"Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours in parts of the Hunter, Metropolitan and Central Tablelands districts," the bureau said.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/hail-hits-sydney-with-warnings-of-severe-thunderstorm/8a479861-e8fc-42df-90b6-f5a76b11cf28

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As winter edges closer, Brisbane has been handed an early, crisp preview of the season ahead. Over the first ten days of May, each evening has seen feels-like temperatures dip into the high teens, marking the coldest start to May in terms of evening apparent temperature since 2023. It's a chill that even the most seasoned Brisbanites are starting to notice.


You might be thinking, “Isn't this typical for Brisbane in May?”


Well, sort of—but this drop feels noticeably different. Gusty winds and the ongoing presence of strong high pressure ridges have shaped much of May's weather. To illustrate what has been going on, today's synoptic chart shows a strong ridge settled over eastern Queensland, which has been causing the notably cold evenings by Brisbane's standards.
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/brisbanes-coldest-may-evenings-in-two-years/1890573

[Mark]

Victoria and South Australia have been slammed by back-to-back record-breaking cold mornings, with this week delivering the coldest May temperatures in decades — in some locations, ever.

After Monday’s icy plunge, Tuesday morning was even chillier.

Coldstream, in Melbourne’s Yarra Valley, sank to –5.5C (22F) — the coldest May reading in 30 years of records. It beat its own Monday record of –5.3C (22.5F) and was colder than anywhere in Victoria’s alpine region, including Mt Hotham at –4.9C (23.2F).

Every one of Victoria’s nine forecast districts woke to severe frost.

Ballarat hit –3C (26.6F), its coldest night of 2025 and the first time it’s dropped below zero this year. Kanagulk in the Wimmera dipped to –4.1C (24.6F) — the coldest temperature recorded there in any month since data collection began in 2004.

South Australia also froze.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/record-cold-persists-across-victoria

[Mark]

Heavy rain continued across a broad area of eastern and southern NSW over the last 24 hours, with parts of western Sydney receiving their heaviest single day of May rain on record.


A slow-moving low pressure trough being fed by moisture-laden air from the Tasman Sea caused widespread rain over NSW on Thursday into Friday morning. This latest bout of rain continues a week-long drenching that started last weekend and has brought record-breaking rain and floods over the past 5 days.


In the 24 hours ending at 9am AEST on Friday, May 23, falls of 100 to 150mm were recorded over a broad area of the NSW coast and ranges stretching from the Port Macquarie region down to about Moruya. There were even a few places that picked up more than 200 mm in this period. Some of the standout totals included:


233 mm at Macquarie Pass (Illawarra)
181 mm at Richmond Airport (Western Sydney)
157 mm in Woy Woy (Central Coast)
157 mm at Darkes Forest (near Wollongong)
154 mm at Lake Macquarie (Hunter)
146 mm at Gosford (Central Coast)
131 mm at Faulconbridge (Blue Mountains)
120 mm at Terrey Hills (Sydney)
102 mm at Taree (Mid North Coast)

Richmond Airport’s 181.4mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday was the airport’s wettest May day on record. Penrith (115.6 mm), Terrey Hills (120.2 mm), Lake Macquarie (153.6 mm) also set new May records for these sites. Sydney’s Observatory Hill collected 72mm of rain, its wettest May day in 24 years.
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/record-may-rain-hits-western-sydney-as-nsw-soaking-continues/1890606

[Mark]

5:31pm May 24, 2025
South-eastern parts of Australia are being warned of widespread destructive winds and rain, as the most powerful cold front of the year approaches land.
A pair of cold fronts are expected to sweep through SA, Victoria and NSW in the coming days, bringing strong wind gusts, hazardous coastal conditions, rain and snow.
The first cold front is moving from Tasmania to parts of South Australia and western Victoria from Saturday afternoon, bringing with it showers and isolated thunderstorms.
READ MORE: Sydney's Warragamba Dam set to spill after days of heavy rain

Parts of Tasmania and Victoria are expected to get the worst of the rainfall over the coming days. (Bureau of Meteorology)
There is also a risk of isolated damaging wind gusts in elevated parts of Victoria this evening, before the cold front is expected to weaken.
Meteorologists believe the second front will pose more serious danger when it reaches Adelaide on Sunday night, bringing a band of rain, showers and thunderstorms.
Strong wind gusts between 80 and 100km/hr are expected to hit parts of SA and western Victoria on Sunday evening, before extending to the rest of Victoria and NSW on Monday and Tuesday.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/aussies-states-warned-to-brace-for-most-powerful-cold-front-of-the-year/790255a9-0339-45ba-9264-3f8482178246

[Mark]

Queensland was gripped by an unseasonably chilly day on the second to last day of May, with Gladstone recording its coldest May day in nearly 50 years, marking a rare late-autumn chill for the coastal city. Friday's cold conditions were driven by a coastal trough, reinforced by a pool of cold air in the upper atmosphere. This setup produced widespread cloud cover with frequent rain and showers across broad areas of eastern and southern Queensland, which are persisting into today, the final day of May.





Image. Observed temperatures at 1:30 pm EST on Friday 30th across parts of eastern and southeastern Qld and northeast NSW.





Image. Temperature (shaded), wind (barbs), and geopotential height (black contours) at 500 hPa—approximately 5.5 km above the surface—highlighting the pool of cold mid-level air, along with forecast 6-hour accumulated rainfall totals to 1 pm EST Saturday across Queensland and parts of northeast NSW.


The cold standout was Gladstone, where the temperature only managed to climb to 16.3°C just after 4 pm—nearly 10°C below the May average. This made it the coldest May day since 12th May 1978, when the maximum reached just 13.8°C, and marks 47 years since the city has been this cold in May.


Several locations across eastern and southeastern Queensland also recorded their coldest May day in between 1 and 5 years, with maximum temperatures ranging from the low teens to low 20s (falling 6 to 12°C below the May average). Even Brisbane joined in the chill, only reaching 18.9°C—its coldest May day in three years, and nearly 6°C below the monthly average.


The coldest maximum temperatures recorded on Friday 30th May included:


Coldest May day in 5 years:


Miles: 14.0°C – nearly 10°C below average

Kingaroy: 14.3°C – nearly 8°C below average

Warwick: 14.4°C – around 7°C below average

Biloela: 14.5°C – roughly 12°C below average

Moranbah Airport: 14.7°C – approximately 12°C below average

Coldest May day in 3 years:


Toowoomba: 14.3°C – about 6°C below average

The system responsible for the cold has been delivering rainfall to eastern Queensland and northeast New South Wales since Thursday 29th May. Significant rainfall totals recorded in the 24 hours to 9 am Saturday include:


Yamba (NSW): 69.6 mm
Evans Head (NSW): 51.8 mm – heaviest May rain in 5 years
Coolangatta Airport: 48.2 mm
Ballina (NSW): 43.2 mm
Cape Byron (NSW): 38.2 mm
Gold Coast Seaway (Qd): 31.6 mm
Brisbane (Qld): 5.2 mm
Widespread rainfall totals of 20–30 mm were reported at multiple locations across southeast Qld and northeast NSW.

What’s next?


The coastal trough and upper-level disturbance are expected to maintain areas of heavy rain across southeast Qld and northeast NSW into Sunday morning. The entire system will gradually move east, bringing relatively drier conditions to these regions. However, some showers may linger throughout the remainder of Sunday, ahead of another system that is forecast to bring areas of heavy rain on Monday.

https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/coldest-may-day-in-almost-50-years-for-parts-of-queensland/1890630