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Tropical Cyclone Fina is currently to north of the NT and driving showers & the odd storms over the Top End. Humid, unstable air extends from the tropics, bringing showers and storms to central & southwest WA and Qld's north & east. Gusty showers spread over Tas with a cold front
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Today, 5:34AM UTC
Tropical cyclone north of Australia, polar airmass to the south
Australia is currently sandwiched between a tropical cyclone to the north and a strong polar airmass to the south, with dramatically different conditions in real time at opposite ends of the continent. While it’s obviously commonplace for Australia’s temperate and tropical regions to have vastly different weather systems concurrently, Wednesday’s satellite image illustrates the contrast in unusually dramatic fashion. Image: Unsurprisingly due to the two systems mentioned in this story, western Tasmania and waters north of Darwin were seeing some of the heaviest showers anywhere in Australia at 2:30pm (AEDT) on Wednesday. Up north: Tropical Cyclone Fina Over the warm waters of the Timor Sea, Tropical Cyclone Fina continues to gain strength. As Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino explained earlier on Wednesday, Tropical Cyclone Fina is a small system, with gale force winds only extending about 50 to 60 nautical miles (approx, 90-110 km) from its core. "Small tropical cyclones are able to fluctuate in strength more rapidly than larger systems, which means they can strengthen or weaken fairly quickly,” Domensino wrote. Fina is expected to become a Category 2 cyclone on Wednesday night and remain at that strength until it makes landfall on Friday and into the weekend over the Tiwi Islands – just north of Darwin – and then possibly the mainland. Down south: yet another strong spring cold front Tasmania and the high country of NSW and Victoria have seen light or even moderate snowfalls up to four times already this November, and Tasmania is set for another round beginning this Wednesday evening. The snow level could be as low as 600 metres in the state’s southwest by Thursday, with a snowline of 700 metres on the Central Plateau and on kunanyi/Mt Wellington above Hobart. You can see the speckled cloud typical of airmasses with polar origins surging towards Tasmania and Victoria in the loop below. Image: Three-hour combined radar and satellite loop on Wednesday afternoon for SE Australia. The speckled pattern occurs when very cold air moves over a relatively warm area of ocean, causing a large number of individual cumulus clouds to develop over a broad area. Each of those cloud cells can produce rain, hail, snow and thunderstorms, with patches of clear sky in between, and the pattern they produce is in many ways as instantly recognisable as the swirling circular cloud mass of a tropical cyclone. Australia is currently in a negative phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). When the SAM is negative, the dynamic cold weather systems that circulate the globe in the Southern Ocean tend to be pushed northwards towards Australia. READ MORE: Southern Annular Mode - What is the SAM and how does it affect Australia? That’s what we’ve seen frequently this November, with average maximum temperatures in both Melbourne and Hobart trending well below the monthly average at this stage.
18 Nov 2025, 7:43PM UTC
Tropical Cyclone Fina forms north of Darwin, landfall possible this weekend
An early-season tropical cyclone has formed to the north of Darwin and is gaining strength, with landfall as a category two system possible on Friday or Saturday. A tropical low that had been steadily intensifying over the Timor Sea on Tuesday reached tropical cyclone strength early on Wednesday morning, becoming Tropical Cyclone Fina. At 3:30am ACST on Wednesday, Fina was located 315 kilometres north northeast of Darwin and travelling towards the east northeast at 9 km/h. Image: Enhanced infrared satellite images showing Tropical Cyclone Fina forming to the north of Darwin on Wednesday morning. Source: Weatherzone. Tropical Cyclone Fina is a small system, which has helped it gain strength rapidly. Its small size also means that gale force winds only extend about 50 to 60 nautical miles from its core. Small tropical cyclones are able to fluctuate in strength more rapidly than larger systems, which means they can strengthen or weaken fairly quickly. Tropical Cyclone Fina is expected to move towards the east northeast on Wednesday and intensify to a category two tropical cyclone by Wednesday night. It should then turn towards the southwest on Thursday and approach the NT’s northern coastline on Friday. At this stage, Fina could impact the Top End coast and Tiwi Islands on Friday into the weekend. The current forecast track suggests that Fina could pass close to Darwin on the weekend, possibly as a category two tropical cyclone. Image: Extended track map for Tropical Cyclone Fina, valid at 4:11am ACST on Wednesday, November 19. Source: Weatherzone. An ocean wind warning has been issued for some NT waters and tropical cyclone watches and warnings will be issued over the coming days as Fina gets closer to land. Anyone living in the NT’s Top End should keep a close eye on the latest forecasts and warnings and follow advice from the NT Government to prepare for possible impacts from this tropical cyclone.
18 Nov 2025, 7:27AM UTC
Tropical cyclone risk increasing near northern Australia
A tropical low located to the north of Darwin has a high chance of becoming a tropical cyclone this week, with landfall over the NT coast possible on the weekend. At 3:30pm ACST on Tuesday, November 18, a tropical low was located about 270 km north of Darwin and moving towards the east northeast at roughly 9 km/h. The system slowly gained strength on Tuesday as it drew energy from the warm Timor Sea, where sea surface temperatures are currently around 30 to 31°C. This is much warmer than the 26.5°C threshold required for tropical cyclone formation. Image: Sea surface temperatures to the north of the NT earlier this week, showing water temperatures around 30 to 31°C. Source: Bureau of Meteorology. The warm seas and favourable atmospheric conditions should help the low pressure system mature into a relatively small tropical cyclone by Thursday. The small size of ths system will help it gain strength more quickly than a larger tropical cyclone would. While there is still lots of uncertainty about this system’s future track and strength, some computer models suggest it could approach the northern coast of the NT’s Top End this weekend. At this stage, there is a chance that we could see a category two tropical cyclone approaching the Tiwi Islands on Saturday before the system moves to the west of Darwin on Sunday. Image: Extended tropical cyclone forecast track map from the Bureau of Meteorology, showing potential for a tropical cyclone to impact the NT’s Top End later this week. Source: Weatherzone. It’s too early to know exactly how this developing tropical low will impact the NT in the coming days. However, cyclonic impacts including heavy rain, damaging winds, large waves and a storm surge are possible in parts of the NT later this week. Anyone living in the north of the NT and WA’s Kimberley region should stay up to date with the latest tropical cyclone advisories in the coming days. Forecasts and warnings may change from day-to-day as more accurate information becomes available to meteorologists. In addition to the official advisories, you will also find regular updates about this system on the Weatherzone news feed.