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A cloudband is bringing showers to northeast NSW & southeast & central Qld. Onshore winds around a high pressure ridge are producing a few showers over western Tas & southern areas stretching from Vic to WA. An unstable airmass is enhancing storms across WA's Kimberley region.
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Today, 2:46AM UTC
Welcome rain for dry parts of northern NSW, southern Qld
Significant rainfall has dampened parts of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland that have experienced rainfall deficiencies over the first four months of the year, some of which are severe. Unfortunately for locals desperately scanning the skies for soaking rain, the falls have not been consistent across the affected area. However, notable 24-hour totals over the past two days included: 24 hours to 9am Tuesday, May 5 26.2mm at Gunnedah, where not a drop of rain was recorded in the previous 38 days, and only 17.4mm fell from February 1 to April 30 (long-term Feb to April average 145.9mm). 28.6mm at Narrabri, which had also endured a 38-day rainless streak, and where seven of the previous eight months have seen below-average rainfall. Isolated falls exceeding 20mm at three weather stations in the Warrego district in southwest Qld. 24 hours to 9am Wednesday, May 6 123mm at Lake Ainsworth, just north of Ballina, NSW. 104mm at Tuckombil, near Lismore, NSW. Falls exceeding 25mm at numerous locations in the ranges west of the Gold Coast. Image: Radar loop with atmospheric water vapour for the NSW North Coast and nearby areas in the early hours of Wednesday, May 6, 2026. The map below shows rainfall deciles across the Murray–Darling Basin in the first four months of 2026. Note that some areas near the NSW/Qld border have experienced their lowest rainfall on record for this period. Image: Rainfall deciles across the Murray–Darling Basin for the first four months of 2026. Source: BoM. The next map shows rainfall across Australia in the 24 hours to 9am Tuesday. You can see how rain fell across some of the areas which have been very dry this year, even if the corners of SE Queensland and NE New South Wales missed out. Image: Rainfall totals across Murray–Darling Basin in the 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Source: BoM. Now here’s a map of the rainfall received at weather stations across Australia in the 24 hours to 9am this Wednesday, May 6. As you can see, the corners of SE Qld and NE NSW that missed out on Monday/Tuesday got a decent soaking in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning. Image: 24-hour rainfall to 9am local time across Australia for Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Source: BoM. Has rain cleared the region now? While a few coastal showers are persisting this Tuesday around the Gold Coast, most of the rain has cleared northern NSW and southern Qld, with the main rainband now well out to sea. A clearing trend will set in across the region for the remainder of the week, with rainfall activity ramping up in regions much further south as a strong cold front whips through Tasmania and the southeast corner of the mainland on Wednesday night into Thursday.
05 May 2026, 5:20AM UTC
Snow to blanket four states, including towns below the mountains
Heavy autumn snowfalls are heading towards southeastern Australia, and not just to the ski resorts of New South Wales and Victoria, or to higher parts of Tasmania. As a cold front ushers in a moist unstable polar airmass on Wednesday night into Thursday, snow will fall on the mountains of Vic, Tas, NSW and the ACT – as well as to elevated areas below the mountains. By Thursday, snow is forecast to fall as low as 500 metres above sea level in Tasmania, 600 metres in Victoria, 700 metres in the Snowy Mountains of NSW, and 800 metres in the ACT and the NSW Central Tablelands. These snow levels would be relatively low for midwinter, let alone in early May, which is why some towns beyond the mountains can expect snow showers on Thursday. Image: Four-hour satellite loop showing the approaching polar airmass, as indicated by the tell-tale field of speckled cloud. Source: Weatherzone. Where will snow fall and how much is expected? As much as 20 centimetres is expected to accumulate in the mainland alpine resorts and the higher parts of Tasmania. Much lighter falls are expected below the mountains, but the chance of snowflakes is still on the forecast for towns like Orange in NSW (elevation ~860m). Snow is also likely in the immediate vicinity of Canberra, though not in the city itself or its suburbs, most of which sit at an elevation around 600 metres. Image: The extent of predicted snowfalls this Thursday. May 7, at 4pm, indicated by purple areas. Source: BoM MetEye. Where can I see snow if I live in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra or Hobart? Canberra: The two main hills either side of downtown Canberra – Black Mountain and Mt Ainslie – both top out at slightly more than 800 metres, so there’s a chance that a quick drive up to the lookouts could yield a snowy reward. But the best chance is usually Corin Forest Mountain Resort, which is better known for its snowmaking, but which also receives natural snow in systems like this one. It’s about 45 minutes from the city. Sydney: The town of Oberon at 1100m is normally just under three hours’ drive west of Sydney, but because of the ongoing closure of the Great Western Hwy at Victoria Pass due to urgent road repairs, the town of Blackheath (elevation ~1060m) in the Blue Mountains might be your best bet, although there’s only a slight chance of moisture making it that far east. Melbourne: Lake Mountain and Mt Baw Baw are the closest snow resorts to Melbourne, around 2-3 hours east of the city, although road closures are possible with heavy snow. With a system like this one that will deliver snow beyond the high country, Mt Macedon (elevation ~1000m) is only an hour northwest of the city and often dishes up a few light snow flurries. Hobart: Large parts of Tasmania will see snow on Wednesday into Thursday, so it’s a case of pick your favourite spot and hope the road is open. The summit of kunanyi/Mt Wellington is more than 1200m above sea level, so expect snow around halfway down to city level. Be sure to bookmark the Weatherzone snow page for all the latest snow information and forecasts during the 2026 ski season.
05 May 2026, 1:08AM UTC
Eta Aquarids meteor shower: How to watch it from Australia this week
Earth will collide with a trail of dust in the wake of Halley’s Comet this week, causing a meteor shower that will be visible from Australia. What is the Eta Aquarids? The Eta Aquarids (also called the Eta Aquariid) is an annual meteor shower that occurs when Earth passes through the path of Halley’s Comet. The comet’s trail contains small particles that were ejected into space when it passed close to the Sun, which happens roughly once every 76 years. When Earth passes through Halley’s trail, the particles from the comet interact with atoms in Earth’s atmosphere to cause bright streaks of light. The comet particles are only tiny, around the size of a grain of sand to a grain of rice. But because they are travelling so fast – about 65 km per second – the streak of light they create in Earth’s atmosphere can be kilometres long. Image: Halley’s Comet, captured on March 8, 1986, the last time it passed close to the Sun. Source: NASA/W. Liller. Meteor showers are typically named after the constellation that sits close to the point in the sky where they appear to originate. This point is called the radiant. The radiant of the meteor shower caused by Halley’s comet appears to sit in the direction of the constellation Aquarius, and the meteor shower is named after a star in this constellation called Eta Aquarii. How can you see the Eta Aquarids? The Eta Aquarids meteor shower can be seen with a naked eye and is safe to view without any eye protection. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower can be visible from about late-April to late-May each year, with the most favourable viewing angle from the Southern Hemisphere. The peak of this year’s event will occur on the night of Wednesday, May 6 and early in the morning of Thursday, May 7. Under favourable viewing conditions, the Eta Aquarids can produce around 30 to 50 meteors per hour in the Southern Hemisphere sky. Unfortunately, a bight waning gibbous moon will make it hard to see some of the fainter meteors this year. However, the brighter streaks should still be visible. For the best chance to see the Eta Aquarids meteor shower from Australia this week, look towards the east or northeast during the hours before dawn. NASA also advises finding an area away from light pollution, such as city lights or streetlights, and giving your eyes at least 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness.