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Tropical low 12U is bringing gusty showers and storms to north Qld. Tropical moisture and a broad region of low pressure is bringing showers and storms to the NT's north and WA's north. A trough will cross Vic bringing dry storms and damaging to locally destructive winds.
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Today, 4:38AM UTC
Potential tropical cyclone threatens Queensland: Heavy rain, damaging winds expected this weekend
Heavy rain and damaging winds are likely to affect parts of eastern Qld this weekend as a potential tropical cyclone hits the state’s northeast coast. Tropical cyclone risk increasing A tropical low currently deepening over the Coral Sea is expected to intensify further as it approaches the Qld coast this weekend. At 10am AEST on Friday, the low was located roughly 405 km to the northeast of Cairns. While the low was barely moving on Friday morning, it is expected to start tracking towards the south southwest on Friday afternoon and night, bringing it closer to Qld’s North Tropical Coast. Image: Visible satellite image showing the tropical low to the east of northern Qld on Friday, January 9, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. At this stage, the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts the low to become a category 1 tropical cyclone on Saturday, before reaching the coast somewhere between Cairns and Ayr late Saturday or early Sunday. If it does become a tropical cyclone, it will be named Koji. Heavy rain and damaging winds on the way This system will cause heavy rain and gale force winds to develop over parts of northeast Qld on Saturday, with both rain and wind increasing as the system gets closer to the coast. The heaviest rain and strongest winds will be located near and south of the system’s centre. The map below shows how much rain is expected to fall between Friday and Sunday, although rainfall amounts will depend on the intensity and location of the low or tropical cyclone as it approaches the coast. Falls of 50 to 150 mm are likely over a broad area extending from about Cooktown to Bundaberg between Friday and Sunday, although much of this rain will fall within 24 hours for most places. Isolated daily totals could reach 200 to 400 mm between about Cooktown and Mackay from Friday night through Saturday, with six-hourly rain rates possibly reaching 100 to 250 mm in this area. Image: Forecast accumulated rain during the 72 hours ending at 10pm AEST on Sunday, January 11, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. This rain will be falling into rivers that are already elevated from recent rain, which will exacerbate the risk of further flooding in the coming days. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a Flood Watch for rivers between Cooktown and Rockhampton, and for the Cape York Peninsula. Minor to major riverine flooding is possible in these areas from Friday into the weekend. In addition to the rain and flooding, isolated areas of damaging winds could develop along the coast between Tully and Cooktown from Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. Looking further ahead, blustery winds and heavy rain could extend further south over the Capricornia, Wide Bay and Burnett and Southeast Coast districts from Sunday into early next week. How to stay safe during this event Emergency services advise people to never drive, walk or swim through floodwater, and stay away from flooded drains, rivers, streams and waterways. Plan ahead to avoid flooded roads and do not drive if conditions are dangerous. Anyone living in eastern Qld should monitor the latest forecasts and warnings in their area over the coming days, which can be found on the Weatherzone and Bureau of Meteorology websites and apps.
08 Jan 2026, 9:04PM UTC
43°C predicted for Melbourne amid catastrophic fire danger in Victoria
Authorities have issued total fire bans across parts of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales on Friday, with intense heat and blustery winds likely to cause catastrophic fire danger in four Victorian districts. Fire danger ratings spiking A low pressure system moving to the south of Australia on Friday will cause northwesterly winds to strengthen over southeastern Australia. These blustery winds will carry extremely hot air towards Vic, causing temperatures and fire danger ratings to soar. Friday's burst of hot and windy weather will cause catastrophic fire danger ratings in Victoria’s Wimmera, North Central, Northern Country and South West districts. Extreme fire danger is predicted elsewhere in Vic and in parts of southern NSW and large areas of SA. Image: Forecast fire danger ratings and total fire bans on Friday, January 9, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. Catastrophic fire danger is the highest possible level of fire danger in Australia. This rating indicates the most dangerous conditions possible for a fire. If a fire starts and takes hold, lives are likely to be threatened, and help may not be available if a fire is impacting your home. Victoria’s Country Fire Authority urges residents to follow this advice on days with catastrophic fire danger: Your life may depend on the decisions you make, even before there is a fire. For your survival, do not be in bushfire risk areas. Stay safe by going to a safer location early in the morning or the night before. Homes cannot withstand fires in these conditions. You may not be able to leave and help may not be available. The highest fire danger ratings on Friday are likely to occur in Vic during the afternoon, as temperatures and wind reach their peak for the day. A west-southwesterly change passing over the state in the afternoon and evening will bring some relief from the heat, although the change in wind direction will also cause fires to start moving in a new direction, which can make them difficult to control. The wind change may also trigger a few thunderstorms across parts of Vic on Friday. These storms are likely to produce little or no rain, which means dry lightning could start new fires as the storms pass through. Hottest day in years for parts of southeastern Australia Temperatures are predicted to exceed 40°C over a broad area of Australia on Friday, extending more than 3500 km from southern Vic all the way up to Western Australia’s Pilbara district. While these temperatures are normal for mid-summer in northwestern Australia, some areas in the southeast will have their hottest day in more than five years on Friday. Image: Forecast maximum temperatures over Australia on Friday, January 9, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. Melbourne is forecast to reach 43°C on Friday afternoon, which would make it the city’s hottest day since December 2019 during Australia's ‘Black Summer’. Further north, Mildura is predicted to reach 45°C and SA’s Renmark is forecast to reach 46°C on Friday. This extreme heat will pose a risk to human health and infrastructure and put strain on energy supply in Vic, SA, NSW and the ACT. Visit the Australian Red Cross website for tips on how to keep cool during a heatwave.
07 Jan 2026, 11:51PM UTC
WA hits 49°C as heatwave escalates fire danger in multiple states
Western Australia has endured blisteringly hot temperatures this week, with the state setting a new high minimum temperature record on Wednesday morning before getting close to 50°C in the afternoon. Record-breaking heat in WA WA’s Pilbara district is no stranger to intense heat at this time of year. The average maximum temperature at Marble Bar during January is around 41°C, while Karratha’s average January minimum temperature is about 27°C. But this week has been remarkably hot in the Pilbara and records have been broken. Paraburdoo, located roughly 200 km west of Newman, registered a minimum temperature of 35.8°C on the morning of Wednesday, January 7. This was the highest minimum temperature ever reliably recorded in WA, beating the previous record of 35.5°C at Wittenoom on January 21, 2003. It was also the 5th highest minimum temperature record in Australia. This record-breaking minimum temperature was then followed by a day of extreme heat as the mercury soared as high as 49°C at Onslow Airport. Hottest place in the world While Onslow’s 49°C was not a record, it was the highest temperature anywhere in the world on January 7. Impressively, Onslow was more than 100°C warmer the coldest place in the world on January 7, which was -53.5°C in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia. That means the temperature differential between Australia and Russia on January 7 was a whopping 102.5°C. Image: Modelled 1-day average temperature on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, showing a huge contrast between Australia and Russia. Source: ClimateReanalyzer.com Widespread heat continuing over Australia While WA has been the highest temperatures in Australia this week, intense heat has been widespread as the country endures a nation-wide heatwave. Temperatures exceeded 43°C in parts of WA, NSW, SA, the NT, Vic and Qld on Wednesday, January 7. For some places, it was the hottest day in around 6 to 7 years. This included Melbourne, which reached 41.0°C, its highest temperature since 2020. This severe to extreme heatwave will continue to affect a broad area of Australia in the coming days as hot air lingers over the country. Unfortunately, this heat will contribute to extreme and catastrophic fire danger ratings in parts of Vic, SA, NSW and the ACT between Thursday and Saturday. The combination of the heatwave and elevated fire weather will cause conditions that could threaten people's lives and impact infrastructure, including transport networks and electricity supply. Be sure to check the latest forecasts and warnings in your area over the next few days and monitor fire activity in your state or territory. Fire information can be found at the following websites: Vic: https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/ SA: https://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/home/ NSW: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/ ACT: https://esa.act.gov.au/fire-rescue The Australian Red Cross has the following advice for staying safe during a heatwave: Stay inside and keep out of the heat as much as possible. Plan to do most of your activities early or late in the day to avoid being outside during the hottest hours. Avoid sport and heavy exercise during peak hours of the day. Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Keep your home cool by using external shade cloths or blinds to shield the inside of the house from direct sunlight. Where possible use a combination of air conditioning and fans to keep certain rooms in the house cool. Electric fans can be an effective method of cooling if air conditioning is not available. If not using air conditioning, open windows during the cooler parts of the day and allow ventilation between rooms. Take cool showers or baths, splash yourself with cold water, or use a cool damp cloth to cool down. If it's too hot at home, go to an air-conditioned shopping centre, community centre, library or your local swimming pool. Avoid direct exposure to the sun where possible and protect yourself with appropriate clothing (loose-fitting, lightweight and light-coloured). Do not leave children or animals in parked vehicles. Keep in touch with friends, neighbours and relatives, particularly if they’re unwell or isolated.