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Rain is affecting WA's Kimberley, the NT, Qld's north & east, NSW & Vic's east as moist air feeds a broad trough. A high is keeping showers sparse elsewhere in Vic & in Tas & SA & keeping elsewhere largely dry. A high is keeping much of the interior & WA's south & west dry.
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Today, 1:53AM UTC
Hobart tracking towards warmest May on record
After beginning the month with its warmest May day in 144 years of records (May 1 maximum 26.9°C, old record 25.7°C), temperatures in Hobart have continued to trend well above average, and the city is now looking increasingly likely to register its warmest May on record. To date in May 2026: Hobart’s running average maximum this month is currently 18.6°C. That’s a full four degrees warmer than its average May maximum of 14.6°C. Hobart’s running average minimum this month is 9.6°C. Its average May minimum is 7.0°C. The unusual Tasmania May warmth has not just been confined to the state capital. To cite just one other example, let’s visit Liawenee, the tiny Central Plateau town with just a handful of residents which registered Tasmania’s coldest recorded temperature in August 2020 with a bone-chilling low of -14.2°C. To date in May 2026: Liawenee's running average maximum is currently 12.0°C. That’s almost three degrees warmer than its average May maximum of 9.1°C. Liawenee’s running average minimum this month is 3.6°C. Its average May minimum is 0.2°C. Why has Tasmania been so warm in May 2026? In addition to the underlying influence of the warming climate, in short it’s down to an absence of regular cold fronts. The polar airmasses that often visit Tasmania frequently in the cooler months have been blocked from pushing northwards by strong high pressure systems, which have been located further south than usual for this time of year. It’s worth revisiting the synoptic chart from May 1 to illustrate that. On that day, warmth from Australia’s interior pushed all the way to Tasmania, as air circulated anti-clockwise around the large high pressure system centred over waters near New Zealand. Image: Synoptic chart for May 1, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. While a cold front on May 6 and 7 delivered snow to elevated parts of Tasmania and the southeastern mainland – and gave Hobart its coldest day of the month with a high of just 12.1°C – it was short lived and was a blip in the otherwise mild Tasmanian weather pattern. Will the last 12 days of the month be cooler? A weak cold front has cooled things down in Tasmania this Tuesday, but there’s no real bite to it, and temperatures will continue to hover near, or just above, the May average in most parts of the state this week. For example, the average May Maximum is 5.7°C at the weather station on kunanyi/Mt Wellington above Hobart at an elevation of 1260m. From this Tuesday through to Sunday, the expected maximums are 8°C, 6°C, 7°C, 9°C, 7°C and 7°C. With no outbreak of below-average maximums or minimums for the rest of this week – on the back of well-above average temperatures across the first 19 days of the month – it’s likely that numerous monthly records for warmth will be broken right across Tasmania by the end of May.
18 May 2026, 8:52AM UTC
200 millimetres in two days soaks southeast Queensland, northeast NSW
Flooding rapidly developed across parts of southeast Queensland on Monday following more than 240 mm of rain in the last two days. A near-stationary low pressure trough being fed with moisture-laden winds caused persistent and heavy showers over southeast Qld and northeast NSW on Sunday and Monday. Rain gauges on either side of the border collected more than 200 mm across the two-day period. Some of the standout totals between 9 am on Sunday and 6:08 pm AEST on Monday included: 245 mm at Natural Bridge (Qld) 240 mm at Springbrook National Park (Qld) 236 mm at Limpinwood (NSW) A rain gauge at the Gold Coast Seaway registered 50 mm in two hours late on Monday afternoon, which is close to half the long-term May monthly average. Image: Radar and satellite images showing persistent rain over southeast Qld and northeast NSW on Monday, May 18, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. Rivers rose rapidly in response to the two-day deluge. As of 6 pm AEST on Monday, moderate flooding was affecting the Pimpama River and the Lodor and Worongary Creeks in southeast Qld. Numerous roads were also closed across the region due to flash flooding. Rain will continue over parts of Qld and NSW – including flooded areas in southeast Qld – during Monday night into Tuesday morning. Drier weather will return from Tuesday afternoon and night as the system moves off the country’s east coast. Check the latest flood warnings and road closures for the most up-to-date information as this wet weather continues.
18 May 2026, 2:52AM UTC
Massive rainband soaks Australia: heavy rain still likely in parts of Qld, NSW
Like a huge sash across the continent, a massive northwest cloudband has produced soaking rain over large parts of the country, with more rain likely in the next day or two. During the weekend, this vast system produced rain in all states and territories of Australia, as an upper level trough combined with a tropical moisture feed. Image: 12-hour loop showing water vapour and rain radar up until 4am (AEST) this Monday, May 18, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. Notable rainfall totals in the 24 hours to 9am Monday included: Queensland 106mm at Natural Bridge, the popular swimming hole about an hour west of the Gold Coast hinterland in the Numinbah Valley. Numerous falls between 25 and 50mm in far SW Qld, where it’s highly unusual to see heavy rain at this time of year. Numerous falls between 10 and 25mm in NW Qld, where heavy wet season rain is common, but significant May rain is unusual. NSW/ACT 106mm at Limpinwood (Bald Mountain) in the state's northeast, just over the border from the Natural Bridge stationed mentioned above. 39mm at Borrona Downs in the state's northwest. Useful falls around 15mm at multiple locations in central and northern inland areas, large parts of which have been exceptionally dry so far this year. Only light falls were recorded in the ACT and southern NSW, with 3.4mm at Canberra Airport. Image: Rainfall deciles in NSW from January to April, 2026. Some but not all of the red-shaded areas with recent rainfall-deficiencies saw useful rain over the weekend. Source: BoM. Victoria Numerous very healthy falls in the 25 to 50mm range in the North Central forecast district (just north of Melbourne) and nearby areas. Melbourne itself had widespread falls of 10-25mm in central and eastern parts of the city, with falls tapering off around the CBD and suburbs further west. Melbourne’s official weather station at Olympic Park was right near the boundary of the heaviest rain and recorded only 6.6mm. Tasmania 40.2mm At Wynyard Airport on the NW coast, which is not where you often see the state’s highest daily rainfall total, except in a northerly flow with tropical moisture as occurred this weekend. 15.8mm in Hobart, which doesn’t sound particularly heavy, but which was the city’s heaviest daily fall to date in 2026. Western Australia You rarely speak of WA and Tasmanian weather in the same breath, but the NW tip of the vast cloudband that brought heavy rain to Tasmania was responsible for unseasonably heavy falls in the eastern Kimberley, including 64mm at Parry Creek Farm. Northern Territory Tennant Creek Airport received 14.4mm, which exceeded its May monthly average of 8.6mm in a day. Alice Springs Airport received 10.6mm. South Australia South Australia saw mostly light falls in the 24 hours to 9am Monday, as the main body of the rainband had moved east by then. But it was a different story a day earlier. Image: Water vapour over Australia showing the moisture feed over South Australia on the morning of Saturday, May 16, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. In the 24 hours to Sunday morning, the tropical moisture feed shown in the loop above produced 20mm in Adelaide, after 11.8mm the previous day. Adelaide has now amassed 52.2mm for May 2026 (long-term monthly average 67.4mm). What's next with this system? "Widespread rain will continue over NSW/ACT and Qld today, along with abnormally cool daytime temperatures beneath the thick northwest cloudband," Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino says. "The heaviest rain today and tonight will be in northeast NSW and southeast Qld, where another 50-100mm could fall over the next 24 hours, with isolated falls possibly exceeding 200mm. This is on top of what's already fallen. "Rain will ease on Tuesday afternoon and night as the low moves offshore." A flood watch is in place for parts of the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers districts in NSW today. At this stage, only isolated minor flooding is expected. Please check the latest on the Weatherzone warnings page.