There are no active warnings for this location.
Weather Maps
Daily Forecast
Showers & storms across WA's north & east, the NT's Top End & Qld's north tropics. Unstable onshore winds over east & southeast Qld brings showers. Areas of light rain across SA ahead of a front passing over WA's south. Dry & very hot across the southeast under a high.
Latest Warnings
AUS
Latest News
Christmas Day Weather Forecast
Climate Updates
Latest News
Today, 6:06AM UTC
Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to persist in eastern Queensland
A stubborn weather pattern is set to fuel persistent showers and thunderstorms in eastern Queensland, keeping the region wet and unsettled well into mid-next week. A surface trough near the coast is drawing in moisture-rich easterly to southeasterly winds, with an upper-level low providing a dynamic boost, supported by warmer-than-usual sea surface temperatures. Some of these storms could bring heavy rainfall, with totals expected to increase as the system develops. Multiple locations in southeast Queensland recorded significant precipitation to 9am this morning, with totals ranging from 20 to 95mm, including 70.2mm at Brisbane, mostly falling during yesterday afternoon. Image. Accumulated rainfall in the Southeast Coast of up to 9am this morning. The images below illustrate the atmospheric pattern expected in the coming days, highlighting the surface trough (mean sea level pressure, MSLP), the daily rainfall field, and winds at an altitude of approximately 5.5km, represented by black streamlines. Mean sea level pressure (white contours), daily precipitation field (colours), and winds at approximately 5.5km altitude (black streamlines) for Monday 16th, Tuesday 17th, and Wednesday 18th December. ECMWF model. The dynamics behind the weather: a stirring analogy To better understand the dynamics at play, think of a spoon stirring a glass of water from the top. As the spoon moves through the water, it creates a disturbance that sets the water in motion below. Similarly, the upper-level low acts like the spoon, stirring the atmosphere and enhancing the upward motion of air. This rising air fuels the intensification of the surface trough, causing the system to intensify. As the air ascends, it cools and condenses, forming clouds and increasing the potential for heavy rainfall. The surface trough, acting as a boundary, channels moisture-rich air from the ocean—boosted by the unusually warm sea surface temperatures—into the system. The impact of warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures Warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the Coral Sea play an important role in this setup. These above-average temperatures provide an abundant source of moisture, which is drawn into the system by the easterly to southeasterly winds. The increased moisture content enhances the instability of the atmosphere, creating the conditions necessary for thunderstorms to develop. Forecast outlook Broad regions of central, eastern, and southeastern Queensland are set to receive daily rainfall totals ranging from 20-60mm through to mid-next week. Some areas may accumulate more than 150-250mm by the end of the week, depending on the exact position of the system. By late Wednesday and Thursday, a strong southerly change will move up the southeastern Queensland and central coast regions, gradually clearing significant precipitation from these areas while shifting the rainfall focus to the northern parts of the state. Accumulated precipitation for the 4 days leading up to Thursday, December 19, according to ECMWF.
13 Dec 2024, 6:03AM UTC
Huge heatwave about to bake Australia
A severe to extreme heatwave will hit several Australian states and territories from this weekend into next week, sending temperatures soaring to the mid to high forties in places. A prolonged period of intense heat will sweep across Australia in the coming days as a hot airmass over the country’s north gets drawn towards the sotheast by a broad low pressure trough. The mercury is set to soar into the low to mid forties in parts of NSW, Vic, Qld, SA, the NT and WA this weekend and early next week, likely reaching 45 to 46°C in some places. This will be the hottest weather so far this year in some parts of the country. The impending heat will be intense enough and last long enough to be classified as a severe to extreme heatwave in multiple states and territories. Image: Heatwave severity forecast for the three days starting on Sunday, December 15, 2024 While the highest temperatures during this heatwave will be outside the capital cities, some of them will get a burst of summer heat: Adelaide is forecast to reach 40°C on Sunday Melbourne could hit 41°C on Monday Canberra should reach about 39°C on Monday Western Sydney is predicted to climb to about 41°C on Tuesday This heatwave will contribute to extreme fire danger in parts of Vic and SA on Monday, while widespread high fire danger is likely in other parts of the country over the weekend and early next week. The coincident heat across southeastern Australia may put strain on the National Electricity Market (NEM), particularly early next week, although power outages are not anticipated at this stage. Heatwaves cause more deaths in Australia than any other natural disaster. You can mitigate the effects of a heatwave by: Staying inside a cool building during the hottest part of the day Avoiding sports during the day Drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated Taking cool showers or baths Avoiding direct exposure to the sun where possible
13 Dec 2024, 3:15AM UTC
Canberra facing hottest day in almost five years
Things are heating up in the national capital and with parliament currently in summer recess, you can't blame the hot air coming out of Parliament House. Canberra should reach 38°C or 39°C on Monday. If it tops 38°C, that would make it the city's hottest day in almost five years. Canberra's hottest day to date in 2024 was November 25, when the mercury reached 35.3°C. The hottest day of 2023 was March 19, with 37.4°C. The last time Canberra's temperature reached 38°C was January 25, 2021, when the mercury peaked at exactly 38.0°C. Canberra's last day above 40 degrees was February 1, 2020, with a scorching 42.7°C. The day mentioned above was of course during the Black Summer and came just four weeks after Canberra endured its hottest recorded day, with 44.0°C on January 4, 2020. As you can see on the map below, Canberra will be in the "severe heatwave" zone early next week as heatwave conditions grip parts of northern, central, and eastern Australia. Image: Heatwave situation for Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday (3 days starting 15/12/2024). Source: BoM. The really hot weather will kick in on Sunday (max 36°C) and persist until Tuesday (max 35°C). Nights will also be warm, and the period from Monday night into Tuesday morning promises to be a real stinker by Canberra standards, with a minimum of 22°C predicted. That would be Canberra’s warmest night of the year by far – and it comes less than two months after the capital saw frost, with a low of –1.3°C on October 26. Why hasn't Canberra seen extreme heat since 2020? After the Black Summer of 2019/20, three consecutive summers that featured La Niña (for all or part of the season) were part of the reason behind Canberra’s lack of summer heat extremes, as the typically cloudy weather associated with La Niña tends to moderate maximum temps. As of this week, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is currently in the neutral range. The absence of La Niña doesn’t automatically mean dry weather and heat, and nor does it mean it won’t rain. Indeed, Canberra has seen its two heaviest 24-hour rainfall days of 2024 this December, with 40.4mm on the 1st and 48.6mm on the 7th. For a city known for its cold, Canberra is racking up some other meteorological extremes (by local standards) in December 2024.