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A low in north Qld is ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji, scattering showers & storms across the state, leading to flooding in the tropics. Showers & a few storms are affecting NSW & WA's north & isolated showers in Vic & Tas in troughs. A high is keeping much of elsewhere dry.
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Today, 12:23AM UTC
Vast area of heat across Western Australia
A large portion of Western Australia is currently under the grip of a heatwave, with maximum temperatures soaring above the already scorching January average in many regions. The BoM defines a heatwave as "when both the minimum and maximum temperatures are unusually hot for 3 days or longer” – and that’s the scenario right now even in famously hot parts of WA like the Pilbara region. Indeed, the run of extreme heat is set to last much longer than three days. Australia’s "hottest town" much hotter than average Marble Bar bills itself as "Australia’s hottest town", although exactly how you define that is up for debate. For example, two other towns jointly hold Australia’s highest recorded temperature of 50.7°C – Oodnadatta in SA and Onslow in WA – while Marble Bar’s hottest recorded day was "only" 49.3°C. But for consistent heat, it’s hard to beat Marble Bar. The small mining outpost with a population of around 900 has an average maximum temperature of 42.1°C in December (the hottest month) and 40.9°C in January, in records dating back to the year 2000. Marble Bar’s maximums in the current heatwave are much hotter than the January average. Wednesday‘s maximum was 44.1°C. This Thursday is predicted to reach 45°C, followed by a run of days expected to peak at 45°C, 46°C, 43°C, 46°C, 47°C and 47°C again by next Wednesday. Image: The Marble Bar Roadhouse, WA, where cold drinks are probably quite popular. Source: iStock/Adrian Wojcik. Back in the summer of 2023/24, Marble Bar endured a run of 26 days where the mercury reached at least 43°C. On six of those days, the mercury hit 47°C or higher. So the current heatwave is not yet in record-breaking territory in terms of its extreme temperatures or its duration, but it’s nonetheless a very significant weather event And as mentioned, the heat extends well beyond the Pilbara. WA forecast districts where heatwave conditions are occurring this week also include the Kimberley, North Interior, South Interior, Gascoyne, Central West and Southern Wheatbelt. Even parts of the Lower West (where Perth is located) and South West have low-intensity heatwave warnings current, although by far the most severe heat is further north and further inland. Image: The current heatwave is already underway, but as shown in the three-day chart from this coming Sunday, January 18, it will last well into next week. What's causing this WA heatwave? Interestingly, the same easterly winds bringing moist conditions to eastern parts of NSW and Victoria are partly responsible as they circulate around a strong high pressure system centred over the Bight. Those winds are then drying out and warming up as they cross the arid interior of the continent heading west. "A persistent heat trough over the Pilbara and Kimberley is also a factor, allowing significant heat to build over the northern half of the state," Weatherzone meteorologist Angus Konta adds. "This heat is transported south as troughs extend down the west coast, allowing for the surges of heat for southern districts." Image: Daily Forecast for Perth, WA, on the Weatherzone app. Perth is heading for a maximum of 36°C this Thursday, then a string of days with highs within a few degrees of the January average of 31.4°C, before a fresh surge of heat next Tuesday lifts maximums towards 40°C in the city and suburbs.
14 Jan 2026, 12:10AM UTC
Ex-TC Koji funnels much-needed moisture to NSW and Victoria
Parts of New South Wales that have barely seen a drop of rain in the first half of January 2026 will see showers and storms this Wednesday as a trough crosses the state. Showers and storms could also develop in northeastern Victoria, although Thursday looks more likely for any meaningful rain south of the Murray. Any rain that falls in central parts of New South Wales this Wednesday and Thursday will be especially welcome. Image: Australian rainfall deficiencies for the last three months of 2025. Significant rain has continued to be absent from most of the rainfall-deficient areas in NSW (red shading) over the first two weeks of 2026, which is why any rain this week will be welcomed by most locals. Source: BoM. Examples of large population centres in need of rain The city of Dubbo (which lies close to the geographical heart of NSW in the Central West Slopes and Plains forecast district) saw less than a third of its average monthly rainfall in each of the last three months of 2025. January has also been relatively dry to date in Dubbo, with just 10.4mm of rain as we approach the halfway mark of the month (January average 55.7mm). It has been a similar story in the NSW Southern Tablelands forecast district and the ACT (which lies within that region). Canberra closed out 2025 with three months that saw roughly half their average rainfall, while only 8.6mm has fallen to date in January 2026 (monthly average 56.8mm). Ex-TC Koji now influencing weather in southern Australia "The broad low pressure trough is extending from ex-TC Koji in the north all the way down to central Victoria," Weatherzone meteorologist Joel Pippard explains, "The trough will meet up with an upper trough and cold pool from today. As the system tracks west, bringing scattered to widespread thunderstorms on Thursday, it will spawn a coastal trough off the NSW coast. "The moisture feed from the tropics and the Tasman Sea will deliver heavy rainfall along the NSW coast, heaviest in the far south, with a growing powerful swell to impact the coast from Friday to next Tuesday." NSW South Coast deluge appears likely later this week Image: Predicted rainfall totals for the South Coast of NSW and adjacent areas up until Tuesday, January 20, according to the ECMWF model. As a low pressure system develops just off the NSW South Coast on Friday, heavy rain will fall in that region and nearby areas. The South Coast is another part of NSW that been very dry lately. Everyone knows Bega because of cheese (it’s not shown on the map above but is located just north of Merimbula). Cheese means dairy country, which usually means relatively high rainfall if an area is not widely irrigated – and this area isn’t. But Bega finished off 2025 with four months of significantly below-average rainfall and hadn’t received a drop of rain in the first two weeks of 2026 to 9am this Wednesday. By next Tuesday, Bega could have received totals in the vicinity of 200mm of rainfall. We’ll keep you posted on the NSW South Coast low later this week as it develops.
13 Jan 2026, 3:03AM UTC
Melbourne serves up surprisingly stable temperatures in lead-up to Australian Open
Famous for its wildly fluctuating weather, Melbourne is turning on a run of uncharacteristically stable temperatures in the lead-up to the start of the 2026 Australian Open tennis this Sunday. Melbourne’s average maximum in January (the hottest month) is 26°C. Historically, that’s because you tend to get hot bursts in the 30s or even low 40s, mixed in with cool bursts in the high teens or low 20s. Recent weeks have provided good examples of Melbourne’s summer maximum temperature swings: Melbourne started last week with maximums of just 20.1°C and 20.6°C on Monday and Tuesday before soaring to 42.9°C on Friday, as temperatures topped 44°C in some outer suburbs. A few weeks ago in December, Melbourne’s maximum jumped almost 20 degrees from 18.6°C to 38.3°C within just two days. But this week, Melbourne can expect maximums of 23°C, 26°C, 24°C, 25°C, 27°C, 29°C and 29°C from today (Tuesday) through to Sunday. So there’s a gradual warming trend, but no wild swings of the type most people would take when trying to return Novak Djokovic’s serve. Any chance of rain in Melbourne this week? Melbourne has hardly seen a drop of rain so far in 2026, with just 0.2mm recorded last Saturday, which was barely enough to dampen the ground. December was also relatively dry, with just under half the average monthly rainfall. Image: Rain forecast map for Victoria for the three days up until the morning of Friday, January 16, according to the ECMWF model. Thursday is the hope to break the dry spell, but it’s a tricky one to predict with confidence. Melbourne’s rain most commonly arrives from the north, west, or south, but any rain this Thursday is likely to arrive from the east. "A low pressure trough will move over southeastern Australia and start to draw moisture all the way from the Coral Sea in Queensland," Weatherzone meteorologist Felix Levesque explains. "That moisture will wrap into NSW and SE Victoria, with potentially some rain for Melbourne. The most likely total is in the 1-5 mm range with heavier stuff further east and south into Bass Strait. But potentially, Melbourne could see 10-20 mm depending on the depth of the moisture feed." What about the weather for week one of the Australian Open? 5 days to go. Big names, bigger moments loading... @ROLEX #AO26 #countdown pic.twitter.com/poT5eFhbVm — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 13, 2026 That 29-degree day forecast for the start of the main draw this Sunday, January 18, should be a sign of things to come for the first few days of the tournament. Some models are suggesting a spike of heat in the mid-to-high 30s is possible by midweek next week, although the most likely scenario appears to be a continuation of moderate temperatures in the mid-20s. If the weather isn’t classic “four-seasons-in-a-day" or even “four-seasons-in-a-week" Melbourne weather, we’re sure most fans and players won’t argue.