There are no active warnings for this location.
Weather Maps
Daily Forecast
A front crossing Tas is bringing showers moving west to east. Unstable winds generate showers and the odd storm over the Top End. Increasingly gusty northerly winds over southwest WA ahead of an approaching front. Clear and settled elsewhere with a high.
Latest Warnings
AUS
Latest News
Climate Updates
Latest News
Today, 3:45AM UTC
Signs of drought in northern Murray-Darling Basin
Record-challenging April warmth and scarce rainfall are causing drought conditions to develop in parts of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. Warm and dry April A series of high pressure systems have kept large areas of eastern Australia unusually warm and dry during the last few weeks. Despite some frosty mornings, daytime maximum temperatures in northern NSW and southern Qld have been running around 3°C to 6°C above average so far this month. Inverell in one of many places in northern NSW that is currently running above its April record for daytime warmth. Inverell’s average maximum temperature for the first 21 days of this month was 28.0°C, well above its monthly average of 23.7°C and its April record of 27.2°C. Many weather stations in northern inland NSW and southern inland Qld have also received little or no rainfall this month. Rain gauges at Guyra, Glenn Innes, Inverell, Tenterfield, Moree and Walgett have all remained completely dry so far during April. Drought developing This April continues a warm and dry start to the year that is causing vegetation moisture stress to worsen in parts of the northern Murray-Darling Basin. Rainfall across parts of northeast NSW and southern Qld was in the lowest 10 percent of historical records during the first three months of 2026, with some areas in northern NSW having their driest start to a year on record. Image: Observed rainfall deciles in and around the Murray-Darling Basin from January to March. Red areas show where rainfall was below average in this three-month period, while blue is above average rain. Source: Bureau of Meteorology. Every month so far this year has also featured above average maximum temperatures in northeast NSW and southern Qld. This recent run of warm and dry weather has caused a spike in evaporative stress, which indicates that moisture is being lost from vegetation and the underlying landscape faster than it is being replenished. The map below shows the Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) for the four weeks ending on March 31, 2026. The red shading in NSW and southern Qld shows where vegetation moisture stress is elevated, which is an indicator of agricultural and ecological drought. Image: Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) for the 4 weeks ending on March 31, 2026. Source: Bureau of Meteorology. The negative ESI values that represent drought over parts of NSW and Qld have intensified over the last couple of months and are likely worsening further in April. A rapid change in the ESI towards higher moisture stress, as we have seen recently, can indicate the onset of ‘flash drought’. Unlike traditional drought that sets in over a prolonged period, flash drought refers to a drought that appears or intensifies quickly. Is there rain on the way? Late autumn and winter are typically a relatively dry time of year for Australia’s eastern inland, with more rain typically falling in the summer months. Unfortunately, this winter may be even drier than usual for the northern Murray-Darling Basin due to the likely development of El Niño through the middle of 2026. Most seasonal forecast models indicate that rainfall will be lower than average for much of southern Qld and NSW during the 3-month period from May to July. Daytime temperatures are also tipped to be warmer than average through this period. Image: Monthly precipitation anomaly forecast for June 2026. Source: Weatherzone. Visit the Bureau of Meteorology’s drought page to monitor Australian drought conditions, including information on rainfall deficiencies, soil moisture and evaporative stress.
21 Apr 2026, 1:29AM UTC
Prolonged spell of unseasonable warmth for large parts of southern Australia
Adelaide and Melbourne are just two locations in a large portion of southern Australia that will experience a run of unseasonable mid-autumn warmth lasting several days, beginning this Tuesday. For the next five days including this Tuesday, Adelaide is expecting maximums of 29°C, 27°C, 29°C, 28°C and 27°C. Adelaide's average April maximum is 22.2°C. For the next five days including this Tuesday, Melbourne is expecting maximums of 26°C, 24°C, 26°C, 25°C and 25°C. Melbourne's average April maximum is 20.4°C. The warmth will even extend as far south as Tasmania, where Hobart is expecting a run of five days with maximums of 20°C or higher from today onwards, including a likely Friday high of 25°C in a month when the average maximum is just 17.5°C. What’s causing the warmth? Sometimes the most basic tool in the meteorology toolkit illustrates the situation best. The synoptic chart below shows a large high pressure system dominating the weather over Australia. Image: Synoptic chart for Australia at 10am on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. To the east of Australia, the low that was sitting over the Tasman for several days has drifted all the way east of New Zealand, but winds circulating around that system are still pushing southerlies onto the New South Wales coastline, keeping conditions slightly cooler than average. In Western Australia, a cold front swept through the southwest overnight, bringing showers and a significant temperature drop. But the situation is very different for the large chunk of southern Australia between the east and west coasts. South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania are all being impacted by northerlies circulating anti-clockwise around the high, dragging warm air southwards from the interior of the continent. This pattern will remain in place for several days as the high drifts east. Dry conditions can be expected to accompany the warmth for the rest of the working week in most of the areas mentioned. Image: Predicted rainfall accumulation for SE Australia up until 4pm (AEST) on Friday, April 24, 2026, according to the GFS model. Source: Weatherzone. As the chart above shows, the only areas likely to see a few showers in coming days are the NSW coastline as well as parts of western, northern and central Tasmania.
20 Apr 2026, 1:52AM UTC
Storms and gale force winds as cold front roars towards WA
A powerful autumn cold front is approaching the southwest corner of Western Australia, bringing storms, strong winds, widespread showers, and a sharp temperature drop to follow on Tuesday. For Perth, showers and storms will likely arrive on Monday evening, and while conditions will start to ease on Tuesday, the mercury will reach just 19°C. Down in the South Coastal forecast district, Albany looks set for its coldest day of 2026 to date on Tuesday with a top of 16°C, while the South West forecast district town of Manjimup, about three hours south of Perth at an elevation of around 300m, should see a chilly Tuesday top of just 15°C. You can see the dynamic system approaching Western Australia’s SW tip this Monday on the loop below. Image: Two-hour satellite loop showing the cold front approaching southwest WA on the morning of Monday, April 20, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. A thick cloud band is evident ahead of the front, followed by a polar airmass which is indicated by the speckled cloud pattern. Storms are most likely on Monday evening as the two airmasses interact. Gale warnings issued, including for Perth area Due to the tight pressure gradient associated with the incoming cold front, winds are set to pick up quite dramatically during Monday. At 9:05am (AWST), the BoM issued a gale warning for Monday for the following areas: Perth Local Waters, Lancelin Coast, Perth Coast, Bunbury Geographe Coast, Leeuwin Coast and Albany Coast. Gale warnings are also in place for Tuesday for the following areas: Perth Local Waters, Perth Coast, Bunbury Geographe Coast, Albany Coast and Esperance Coast Image: Predicted peak wind gusts at 8pm (AWST) for Western Australia on Monday, April 20, 2026, according to the ECMWF model. Source: Weatherzone. How does the BoM define a gale? The BoM defines a gale as an average wind speed of 34 to 47 knots, which translates to 63 to 87 km/h. The average wind speed is calculated over 10-minute intervals, and it’s worth noting that gusts are often considerably stronger. Meanwhile a second, slightly weaker cold front looks set to push through on Thursday or Friday, as weather systems swing towards the pattern which is common in WA’s southwest during the cooler months.