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A brisk westerly airstream between fronts is bringing showers to Tas, southern & eastern Vic and southeast NSW, falling as snow over the Alps. Moist easterly winds are bringing a few showers to far north Qld and the northeast NT. A broad ridge of high pressure keeps elsewhere dry
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Today, 1:28AM UTC
Bitterly cold across the southeast with fresh snow and wild winds up high
The cold front that crossed Tasmania and the southeast mainland overnight has left up to 15 centimetres of fresh snow at higher elevations, with strong winds and low temperatures creating bitter conditions in the alpine region. This Wednesday also promises to be one of the coldest days of the year to date in many lower elevation locations across South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and southern New South Wales – especially when you factor in the apparent or "feels like" temperature. At 10 am, it was still just -5.2°C at Australia’s highest weather station, Thredbo Top Station at 1957 metres, with a “feels like” temperature of -17.3°C as winds gusted above 60 km/h. The strongest gust overnight was 120 km/h just before 2 am. Hobart was just 7.2°C at 10 am, with a “feels like” temperature of 2.5°C. Melbourne was 10.6°C at 10 am with a “feels like” temperature of 7.0°C. The mercury is expected to reach just 13°C, which would make it just the third day this month to fall below the long-term average July maximum of 13.5°C. Spectacular speckled cloud mass reveals air with polar origins The loop below shows the cold front moving overnight. Image: Combined satellite and radar loop for SE Australia for the eight hours to 10 am (AEST) on Tuesday, July 29, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. The heaviest band of moisture that produced rain and snow on the southeastern corner of the mainland moved through in the small hours of the morning, while Tasmania saw some of the heaviest precipitation from this system during the daylight hours of Wednesday morning. The speckled cloud pattern which is clearly visible over waters south of SA and Vic after sunrise is caused by frigid air moving over the comparatively warm ocean, creating cumulus cloud cells with clear patches of sky in between. Rapid clearing pattern with frosty nights to follow As stated earlier this week, this always appeared likely to be a cold but relatively short-lived system. While frequent rain or snow showers will persist until Wednesday evening in Tasmania, southern Victoria and SA, and the high country of Vic, NSW and the ACT, the atmosphere will dry rapidly by Thursday. While the Victorian coastline and parts of Tasmania will see showers through the midweek period, a spell of clear, chilly weather will set in for several days across much of the southeast, with minimums set to plummet to potentially the coldest levels many locations have seen this year. For example, the mercury at Thredbo Top Station is expected to dip to -9°C on Thursday morning. The coldest thus far in the 2026 winter was -7.1°C on June 27. Due to a shower or two persisting along the Victorian coastline, Melbourne won’t see its coldest mornings this week until Friday or Saturday, with frost possible in inland suburbs on both mornings. Day of the season at the snow resorts Image: The elevation and locations where at least some snowfalls are possible across the SE Australia alpine region on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. With snowfalls likely to continue into Wednesday afternoon, Thursday should be a cracker at the mainland ski resorts. The combination of sunshine with a coating of soft, dry snow should make for perfect surface conditions even though the overall snowpack is still relatively thin for this time of year. This is not the major snowfall event that snow enthusiasts and ski industry businesses were hoping for, but it has definitely made a difference. And the further good news is that the coming clear, cold nights should be perfect for snowmaking to augment the natural cover. READ MORE: Snowmaking begins in Australia: but how does it work? There are also early signs of a system of similar or slightly lesser intensity which could arrive around the same time next week. Please check the Weatherzone snow page for the latest forecasts, live cam images and more.
28 Jul 2026, 2:11AM UTC
Perth facing driest July in 14 years
Perth is facing the very strong likelihood of having its driest July since 2012, with no significant rainfall expected before the end of the month. To date in July 2026, Perth has received 56.8 mm of rainfall Perth's average rainfall for July (historically the wettest month of the year) is 147.8 mm. The last time Perth had less than 100 mm in July was in 2020, with a total of 83.4 mm. That means this July will almost certainly be the driest since 2012, when just 34.6 mm of rainfall was recorded (the lowest on record for the month). Why has Perth been so dry this month? Perth receives almost all of its winter rainfall (and the vast majority of its annual rainfall) from cold fronts originating in the Southern Ocean which sweeping across Western Australia’s South West Land Division. In July 2026, those fronts have been relatively infrequent, and not particularly moisture-laden. The absence of rain-bearing cold fronts is consistent with weather patterns associated with the recent very strongly positive Southern Annular Mode (SAM). The SAM is a major climate driver that measures the north-south movement of the westerly wind belt encircling Antarctica. During a positive SAM (as we’ve had through much of July 2026), the belt of westerlies is further south. That typically means less rain for Perth and the southwest. And it’s not just Perth that has had a dry month Manjimup, in the state’s South West forecast district, has had 52 mm (to date this month July average 173 mm). Albany, in the state’s South Coastal forecast district, has had 50.1 mm to date this month (July average 146.6 mm). Northam, in the Central Wheat Belt, has had just 12.2 mm to date this month (July average 81.6 mm). As things stand now, the large wheat belt town of Northam is facing the unwelcome prospect of its driest July in 149 years of records. The driest was 13.6 mm in 2012. When will the winter rains return? Image: Rainfall accumulation predicted for southwest WA up until 8 pm (AWST) on Monday, August 3, 2026, according to the ECMWF model. Source: Weatherzone. A cold front will clip the southwest on Saturday, bringing showers, although rainfall totals are not expected to be particularly heavy at this stage. The good news is that the SAM has recently returned to negative territory, increasing the likelihood of more frequent rainfall events throughout August. Image: The last 12 months of SAM data to July 26, 2026. Source: BoM. It’s important to state that a negative SAM doesn’t lock in the prospect of significant rainfall in coming weeks. Sometimes, the nodes of cold, wet weather tend to peak on the eastern side of Australia rather than in the west. But the signs are good. For the record, Perth received close to its average rainfall in June 2026, with 121.6 mm (June average 127.2 mm). So while July has been dry, and while the city will not repeat its 2025 feat of receiving above-average rainfall in each winter month, a wet August could still bring the seasonal total close to average.
28 Jul 2026, 1:08AM UTC
Why do clouds float?
Clouds are made up of water droplets and ice crystals. So, why don’t they fall to the ground? Clouds appear to defy gravity by hovering above Earth’s surface every day. If you can’t see any in the sky above you, a quick look at the latest images from a weather satellite will show a variety of cloud formations stretching across the planet. Being an everyday occurrence, a cloud’s ability to hang in the sky might seem unimpressive. But have you ever wondered how clouds manage to float while other precipitation, including rain, hail and snow, fall to the ground? Perfect balance between gravity, buoyancy and updrafts A cloud's ability to float comes down to a delicate balance of forces: gravity against buoyancy and updrafts. In the context of Earth’s atmosphere, gravity is the force that pulls objects towards the ground. It acts on everything in the sky, including clouds. It never switches off. If you throw a ball in the air, gravity is what brings it back down. There are also other forces that oppose gravity in the atmosphere, including buoyancy and updrafts. Image: Low-level clouds are usually composed of small water droplets while high clouds often contain tiny ice crystals. Source: iStock / guvendemir. You may be familiar with buoyancy in water – it’s the force that keeps boats and rubber duckies afloat. But the atmosphere also has buoyancy that tries to push objects upwards in the opposite direction to Earth’s gravitational pull. However, the buoyancy of air is much weaker than the buoyancy of water, which is why boats can’t fly. Why updrafts matter Rising air currents – known as updrafts – also oppose the force of gravity in the atmosphere and the stronger the updraft, the more it acts against gravity when an object is trying to fall. If an object is small enough, the upward force of buoyancy and rising air currents can match or exceed the downward force of gravity. Image: Three main forces acting on rain drops and cloud droplets. Source: Weatherzone. Cloud droplets are so small – typically less than 0.02 mm in diameter – that the force exerted on them by Earth’s gravity is also small. In areas where relatively warm air is rising in the sky, this small gravitational force is counteracted by this updraft and the atmosphere’s buoyancy. Cloud droplets are so small that they fall very slowly, meaning even a weak updraft can keep them afloat. What happens when cloud droplets get too big? The small size of cloud droplets is the key to clouds being able to hover in the sky. When cloud droplets start to get too large, their mass increases the force of gravity, which eventually outweighs the opposing force of buoyancy and rising air currents, causing them to fall towards the ground. Some raindrops can grow to around 6 mm in diameter. An important note about raindrops is that small changes in their size make a surprisingly big difference to their weight. Double the width of a droplet and its volume increases eightfold. When water droplets in clouds get too heavy, they fall as rain, hail or snow. Next time you see a cloud in the sky, take a moment to stop and appreciate the natural balancing act taking place in the atmosphere.