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A cold front is bringing strong winds, storms, showers & small hail across SA, Tas, Vic & NSW. Showers are falling as snow in the Alps & in the Tas highlands. A high is clearing WA's far south while keeping elsewhere largely dry & mostly clear, leading to a cold night.
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Today, 3:09AM UTC
Wind gust of 163 km/h in Tasmania, the equivalent of category 2 cyclone
A wind gust of 163 km/h was recorded in the southern Tasmanian outpost of Maatsuyker Island around dawn on Monday morning, as a vigorous westerly airstream lashes southeastern Australia. The gust was near the upper limit of the strongest gust you’d typically expect in a category 2 cyclone – meaning it was very close to the equivalent of a category 3 cyclone. But this was no tropical system. The engine of this morning’s cold, fearsome winds was a strong low pressure system centred well south of Australia near Antarctica. Image: Mean sea level pressure and 850 hPa temperatures, showing the position of the low well south of Australia, at 1 am (AEST) on Monday, July 13, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. The wild winds whipped Tasmania ahead of the passage of a cold front, which will cause snow to fall as low as 600 metres above sea level in Tasmania later today. Snow is already falling at the state’s higher elevations. Strongest Tasmanian wind gust since 2024, NSW and Vic gusts also exceed 100 km/h The 163 km/h gust at Maatsuyker Island was the equal-strongest recorded gust at the site (or anywhere in Tasmania) since August 2024. The weather station is situated on an elevated clifftop near the lighthouse on the island’s southwestern tip, where a gust of 163 km/h was also recorded in October 2025. Other Tasmanian locations where gusts exceeded 100 km/h included: Tasman Island, 120 km/h gust at 10:43 am Kunanyi/Mt Wellington above Hobart, 117 km/h gust at 1:42 am Scotts Peak, 139 km/h gust at 5:51 am Wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h at locations in New South Wales and Victoria over the weekend and into Monday morning included: Thredbo Top Station (NSW), 119 km/h gust at 10:35 am on Sunday Mt Hotham (Vic), 106 km/h gust at 9:30 pm on Saturday Hogan Island (Vic) in northern Bass Strait, around 40 km south of Wilsons Promontory, 106 km/h gust at 12:23 am this Monday Falls Creek (Vic) 102 km/h gust at 11:05 pm on Sunday The combined radar and satellite loop on Monday morning (below) shows bands of cloud and moisture rapidly moving across Tasmania and the southeastern mainland, shoved along by those fierce westerlies. Image: Combined satellite and radar loop for SE Australia for the eight hours to 10:30 am (AEST) on Monday, July 13, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. This is a typically stormy weather pattern for southern Australia in winter, with severe weather warnings for damaging winds in place this Monday for the Snowy Mountains of NSW, parts of Victoria, and numerous forecast districts in Tasmania, especially in the state’s north. Blizzards with a little rain thrown into the mix Significant snowfalls have occurred with this system from Saturday onwards, with a brief surge of very cold air early on Sunday morning bringing snow as far north as the summit of 1397-metre Mt Canobolas, near Orange on the NSW Central Tablelands. The higher alpine resorts like Perisher and Thredbo in NSW have reported around 25 centimetres of snow to date from this event. Unfortunately for snow enthusiasts, the snow turned to rain below about 1700 metres on Sunday evening, with a mix of precipitation of both the frozen and unfrozen variety continuing into Monday. Image: Unfortunately that is a rainbow, not a "snowbow" over the High Noon run at Thredbo, NSW, on Monday morning. Source: "Rusty" via ski.com.au. A fresh surge of cold air briefly kicks in later this evening into Tuesday morning, which should add up to 10 centimetres to the snowpack, before the atmosphere over the southeast starts to dry out on Tuesday, with winds easing as a high pressure system dominates the weather for the remainder of the working week. Please check the Weatherzone snow page for the latest snow forecasts, live cam images from the mountains, and more.
12 Jul 2026, 2:06AM UTC
What is the best whale watching weather for NSW and Queensland?
Between June and November, humpback whales migrate up and down the Australian East Coast, but what are the best weather conditions to spot these giant animals? Whale migration season from June to November The migration season varies from year to year based on predator and prey abundance, sea ice, water temperatures and locations of feeding and breeding grounds. Image: Humpback whale breaching off the southeast Queensland coast. Source: iStock / mevans During the Southern Hemisphere summer, humpbacks are found near Antarctica feeding on krill. Each year, around 40-50,000 of these giants of the ocean complete a 4,000-5,000 kilometre journey north along the Australian East Coast from June to August, to their warm sub-tropical breeding ground waters. They then migrate back down south to the feeding grounds from September to November. Proximity to the coast, for easy viewing from land, will usually depend on weather, ocean currents and temperatures, and abundance of prey and/or predators. Typically, young boisterous males lead the migration, while pregnant females/cows (northbound) and mother-infant/cow-calf pairs (southbound) close up the rear. Image: A warm core ocean eddy sitting off the Sydney coast during much of June and July 2026 has likely meant whales have tracked north further offshore. Source: OceanCurrent/IMOS The best whale watching weather The best weather for spotting whales will include: Bright, clear and sunny skies Calm seas Gentle winds (preferably westerly in direction and under 15 knots) Bright, clear and sunny skies from around mid-morning (10-11:00am) to mid-afternoon (2-3:00pm) provide the highest visibility and least glare on the ocean surface. Calm seas with small swell and gentle winds under about 15 knots keep the surface of the ocean clean, increasing the chances of spotting breaches, tail slaps and spouts from whales without confusing them for waves or whitecaps. These conditions are also excellent for jumping on a whale watching cruise, minimising the risk of seasickness. Westerly winds also minimise ocean chop near the coast, while bringing clear, dry air from the land, improving the visibility. Westerly winds can also lead to upwelling of nutrients, drawing whales closer to the coast. Video: Crisp clear skies and offshore winds move off the NSW and southeast Queensland coast following passage of a cold front on Sunday, July 12, 2026. Source: Weatherzone Some of the best periods for whale watching can come after the passage of cold fronts over southern Australia. These weather systems bring dry westerly winds that increase visibility and flatten the ocean – increasing the chances of seeing whales once winds die down! The best whale watching spots By mid-July, much of the whale migration is well underway, making it the perfect NSW and Queensland school holiday activity to go stand on a headland and keep a watchful eye for any breaches offshore. Hervey Bay is one of the best places to see humpbacks. The warm, calm and protected waters nestled behind K'Gari (Fraser Island) are the perfect place for mothers and newborn whales to rest and play, and for humans to hop aboard cruises and even swim with whales. Humpbacks are often found in Hervey Bay between August and October. Image: Satellite imagery on Saturday, July 11, 2026 showing clear skies across the Hervey Bay area, perfect for viewing whales. Source: Weatherzone More properly on the "humpback highway" K'Gari, Moreton and Stradbroke islands, along with Noosa Heads and the Gold Coast jut out into the Pacific Ocean enough to make for fantastic land-based whale watching. Image: Marine conditions and forecast for the Gold Coast and Southeast Qld Coast on Sunday, July 12, 2026, as seen on the Weatherzone App. South of the border, notable locations along the NSW coastline include: Byron Bay Lighthouse Muttonbird Island (Coffs Coast) Tacking Point Lighthouse (Port Macquarie) Cape Hawke Lookout (Forster) Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse (Seal Rocks) Broulee Island (South Coast) Eden (Saphire Coast) In Sydney, Cape Solander is considered the best coastal viewpoint for whale watching. North Head, Long Reef Headland and Barrenjoey Lighthouse are also great spots to watch the migrating giants from land. Image: A breaching humpback whale just outside Sydney Harbour's heads. Source: iStock / PomInOz Whether catching a cruise offshore to see whales up close or hiking up a headland with a pair of binoculars, be sure to check weather conditions beforehand on the Weatherzone App so you make sure you have a "whale" of a time.
11 Jul 2026, 2:32AM UTC
Typhoon Bavi to pass by Taiwan, bear down on China
Typhoon Bavi is nearing major population centres this weekend, having travelled across the Western Pacific in the last week. Crossing Japan’s Sakishima Islands east of Taiwan on Saturday morning, Bavi will then pass to the north of Taiwan, before making landfall along China’s east coast by late Saturday night. According to the Japan Meteorological Association (JMA), Bavi is currently generating winds of approximately 140km/h, gusting to about 200km/h as it crosses the southern Okinawa Islands. The JMA has ongoing warnings in place with these winds expected to continue into Saturday afternoon. In addition, it is forecasting waves as high as 12m near the islands as Bavi passes through. Gif: Water vapour imagery of Typhoon Bavi as it approaches and crosses the Sakishima Islands on Saturday morning. Source: Weatherzone. Weather stations across the region have so far recorded wind speeds of 95km/h and gusts as high as 150km/h during Saturday morning. Meanwhile, 24 hour rainfall totals to Saturday morning have exceeded 150mm across the region with further rainfall expected as rainbands move across the islands behind the eye of Bavi. The highest rainfall totals of this system so far have been observed across northern parts of Taiwan. In some areas, rainfall totals have reached 250-300mm since midnight local time (as of 10:30am), including 6 hourly totals exceeding 150mm and hourly rainfall totals approaching 60mm. Image: Areas of Taiwan covered by a Typhoon Warning on Saturday morning. Source: Central Weather Administration https://www.cwa.gov.tw/V8/E/P/Typhoon/TY_WARN.html Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration is maintaining a Typhoon Warning that covers most of the island. In addition, a warning for extremely torrential rain (exceeding 500mm/24h) is in place for mountainous areas. Rainfall could also exceed 300mm/24h for northern parts of the island, leading to widespread flooding as well as a risk of landslides through the mountainous terrain. In the coming hours and days, the JMA is expecting Bavi to approach, then make landfall along China’s east coast, and is expected to be already weakening by this point. The most likely site of landfall looks to be in the vicinity of Wenzhou, about 350km south of Shanghai. Following landfall, model guidance is indicating that Bavi will continue to weaken while making its way north through eastern China, inland from Shanghai, then veer northeast towards the Korean Peninsula early next week. Image: Forecast accumulated rainfall in the week to Friday, July 17, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. While impacts over the mainland are not expected to be as severe as for the islands, rainfall is still expected to reach 200-400mm in widespread areas in the coming days. Damaging to possibly destructive winds as well as a storm surge are also likely along coastal areas near where Bavi makes landfall.