Australian Weather

Today, 1:55AM UTC

A huge swathe of northern Australia is enduring an extended period of heatwave conditions, with maximum and minimum temperatures well above average for this time of year. Here's a quick overview of how hot it has been, how long the heatwave will last, and the causes of the unusually warm conditions. How can such a consistently hot region have a heatwave? The BoM defines a heatwave as a period when maximum and minimum temperatures are unusually hot over three days, as compared to the local climate and past weather. So hot locations in northern or outback Australia can absolutely have heatwaves, just as places with relatively mild climates like Hobart can. It's all about the temperatures relative to normal. Temperatures during the current heatwave at two key locations Image: Forecast maximums across the NT and nearby parts of adjacent states for Wednesday, November 11, 2026 (according to the ECMWF model), showing the locations of Darwin and Weipa. Source: Weatherzone. Let's take a look at the recent temperatures, and the forecast temperatures over the next few days, in Darwin (NT) and Weipa (the largest town on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula). Darwin Darwin averages just 3.1 days of 35°C or higher during November. But the NT capital has just had a run of 7 days of 35°C or higher, with another five on the forecast from this Tuesday, November 10 – potentially a 12-day streak. If Darwin reaches 35°C over 12 consecutive days, that would be the city's longest November run with maximums of 35°C or higher since 1929. Minimums have also been warm by local standards. Nine of the 10 mornings so far this November have exceeded the average monthly low of 25.3°C, with minimums around 27°C or 28°C likely over the next seven days. Weipa The largest town on Cape York Peninsula, Weipa averages a maximum of 36.0°C in November, but that has been comfortably exceeded every day to date this month. Weipa had its hottest November day in 54 years of records with a high of 39.8°C on Saturday. Maximums around 38°C or 39°C are forecast for the next seven days. Minimums around 24°C or 25°C are forecast over the next seven days (the November average is 23.6°C) So what is the cause of the current heatwave in these areas? Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino says the current heatwave can be attributed to the combined influence of El Niño, a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and above-average sea surface temperatures around the Top End and other parts of northern Australia. Image: Sea surface temperature anomalies for waters off the NT and nearby parts of Qld and WA on November 8, 2026. Source: BoM. Warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures help create warmer-than-average air temperatures over land. This is because the air absorbs some of the heat from the water surface before moving inland. Without going into detail on the atmospheric dynamics associated with broad-scale climate drivers, the key point is that both El Niño and a positive IOD tend to reduce cloud cover over northern Australia, which generally leads to much warmer daytime temperatures. Erratic and sluggish start to the wet season The current hot, mostly dry spell reflects the fact that much of Australia's far north has experienced a very slow start to the 2026 wet season. To return to our examples of Darwin and Weipa: Darwin had just under half its monthly rainfall in September and October, and has thus far had only one meaningful rain day in November, with 25.4 mm on November 8. That wet Sunday brought Darwin's rainfall total since September 1 beyond 50 mm – a crucial threshold which technically means the "build-up" is over and the wet season has officially begun. But there remains no sign of the regular, near-daily showers and thunderstorms that mark the wet season. Weipa has had almost no rain since April, including just 0.8 mm so far this November in a month in which it averages 90.4 mm. The current spell of heat shows no signs of waning just yet. According to Ben Domensino, the monsoon is expected to be delayed this season, which could see these abnormally warm conditions extending into late December or even early January.

09 Nov 2026, 7:26AM UTC

Showers and storms will develop across a large portion of Australia this week, including in relatively dry parts of the interior. The storms will be caused by a series of troughs moving across the country, as a ridge of high pressure is centred over waters south of the continent for most of the week. Here's a quick look at where showers and storm activity could occur in each state and territory this week. Image: Accumulated rainfall across Australia from Monday November 9 to 11 am (AEDT) on Monday, November 16, 2026, according to the ECMWF model. Source: Weatherzone. Western Australia At a time of year when rainfall activity starts to ramp up in WA's north and declines markedly in the state's south, showers and storms will be remarkably widespread in WA this week. While Perth looks likely to miss out on all but the lightest drop, rain could fall from the Kimberley and Pilbara in northern WA down through regions like the Gascoyne, Goldfields and the North and South Interior, all the way south to the Eucla and eastern parts of the South West Land Division The potential for showers and storms is higher earlier in the week in northern WA, and increases throughout the week in southern and eastern regions. South Australia A band of showers and storms moved through SA on Monday afternoon, however accumulated totals have been generally less than 5 mm, while Adelaide itself didn't record a drop to 5 pm (ACDT). Adelaide should remain dry during the week ahead, however showers and storms will develop in SA's far west and north by Thursday. Unusually, the North West Pastoral forecast district is the SA region most likely to see significant rainfall between Tuesday and Friday. Northern Territory The Top End wet season is not yet fully into swing and Darwin can expect a string of mostly sunny days with only the slight chance of an afternoon shower until Friday. Further south in the territory, it's a different story. By Thursday and Friday, there's the chance of heavy falls of rain and thunderstorms in the Lasseter forecast district in the NT's south, which includes Yulara and Uluru. Potentially, this could be the second significant rainfall event at Uluru in two weeks, after Yulara caught 41 mm of rain at the end of October, and the rain didn't miss nearby Uluru, as illustrated in the image below. Image: Temporary waterfalls on Uluru in late October, 2026. Source: Billy Hall (oz_eco_tours) on Threads. Queensland Showers and storms will develop in northwestern Queensland on Tuesday and Wednesday and spread in an arc across the state all the way to the southeast, where Brisbane can expect showers and/or storms just about every day this week from Tuesday onwards. Severe thunderstorms with locally heavy rainfall, large hail, and damaging wind gusts are possible across a broad sweep of central and southeastern Queensland on Wednesday into Thursday. Victoria Most of Australia's dynamic wet weather will be located much further north than Victoria this week. But isolated showers and storms are still possible across much of the state, especially in the east towards the end of the week. Melbourne should be dry and mostly sunny right through until at least Saturday. New South Wales/ACT By midweek, the northeast corner of NSW and some other areas in the state's north could see some severe thunderstorms in the same outbreak of dynamic weather that is due in South East Queensland. Showers are also possible in coastal districts on most days, while the rest of the state (including Canberra and the ACT) should be largely dry until the weekend, when rain looks likely to intensify along the coast and adjacent ranges as a coastal trough develops. Tasmania A shower here and there can be expected on the Tasmanian coast at various times throughout the week, but the dominant ridge of high pressure centred over the waters of the Great Australian Bight will ensure relatively dry, mild, uneventful weather in our southernmost state for much of this week.