Webcams showed snow blanketing the ground in some areas. In others, it was patchy or nonexistent
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Australia’s snow season has officially begun, with resorts predicting a good season despite climactic threats and the cost-of-living crisis.
Between 20cm and 40cm of snow fell across the Victorian and New South Wales alps before the long weekend, with the falls bolstered by snowmakers.
Continue reading...Snow arrives in time for the start of ski season, but climate change and El Niño mean it may not stick around for long, experts say
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There was optimism across Australian alpine resorts this week as their social media channels filled with footage of snow flurries that arrived just in time for the opening of the ski season this weekend.
“We couldn’t be more excited,” said the Instagram account of Perisher, the southern hemisphere’s biggest ski resort in Kosciuszko national park in New South Wales, as hands swept the fresh snow from outdoor tables.
Continue reading...BoM and other agencies expect transition to the first El Niño since spring 2023 sometime during winter
Australia should prepare for an imminent El Niño, with the Bureau of Meteorology and other agencies forecasting that the weather phenomenon is likely to develop in the coming months.
“The models are really aligning now,” Felicity Gamble, a senior BoM climatologist, said. “We are expecting a transition to El Niño sometime during winter.”
Continue reading...Wind gusts up to 125km/h forecast to hit city as residents urged to stay away from windows
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Intense storms are lashing the western coast of Australia with an unusually deep low pressure system packing powerful winds and heavy rain.
The extreme weather eventbrought wind gusts of up to 125 km/h to Perth and communities along Western Australia’s coast on Sunday afternoon.
Continue reading...Bureau of Meteorology says WA residents should brace for wind gusts higher than 125km/h – the strength of category two cyclones
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A major storm system bearing down on millions of Western Australians on Saturday is bringing cyclone-strength winds, and is set to deliver a “wintry blast” to the east of the country early next week.
Residents across WA’s populated south-west were warned to tie down loose items and prepare for destructive wind gusts that could exceed 125km/h from Saturday evening.
Continue reading...Wet weather batters parts of Queensland, NSW and Tasmania amid warnings of heavy falls on Friday
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Wild weather more typical of summer than the last days of autumn has caused chaos in south-eastern Australia, unleashing a string of severe thunderstorms.
Heavy rainfall accompanied by 500,000 lightning strikes across Queensland and New South Wales triggered widespread flash flooding, road closures and travel disruptions.
Continue reading...Water minister Rose Jackson calls drying in Gwydir region ‘devastating’ as bill passes upper house
Water flows to parched New South Wales wetlands where an urgent rescue mission to save dying wildlife unfolded are a step closer to resuming after legislation passed the state parliament’s upper house.
The water minister, Rose Jackson, told the parliament on Thursday night the impact of a halt to environmental flows in the internationally significant Gwydir region had been “devastating” as she introduced legislative amendments she said would allow flows to resume.
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Continue reading...Daytime temperatures on Friday were 10 to 14C above average in four states
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Record-breaking warm temperatures for the start of May in many parts of the country will be washed out by a cold front bringing rain, thunderstorms and much cooler weather.
A high-pressure system dragged warm northerly winds across south-east Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.
Continue reading...Queensland and NSW set for lower than usual rainfall in May, June and July, while temperatures in most of the country likely to be higher than normal
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Large parts of south-east Australia look set for drier and hotter conditions over the next three months as a potential El Niño weather phenomenon takes shape in the Pacific Ocean.
Much of Queensland and New South Wales are forecast to have lower than usual rainfall in May, June and July, with almost the entire country likely to experience hotter than average maximum temperatures.
Continue reading...While path and strength of storm remain uncertain, BoM warns Cape York could again take direct hit if cyclone makes landfall
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Another cyclone may hit the Queensland coast just over three weeks after the same area was smashed by Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
But a meteorologist warned forecasts predicting the path and strength of Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila remained uncertain, with the storm likely to make landfall over the weekend.
Continue reading...The Bureau of Meteorology says a blend of fine days and showers expected for most capital cities over the coming days
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Many Australians can expect mild temperatures and a chance of showers over the Easter weekend, while meteorologists predict a cyclone will form in the Coral Sea from Saturday evening.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a blend of fine days and showers for most capital cities over the coming days.
Continue reading...Critical Western Australia agriculture region counting cost of brutal cyclone as flooding risk persists for low-lying communities
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An agricultural region that supplies about 60% of Western Australia’s fresh winter produce is assessing damage as authorities continue work on Sunday to restore power to a popular tourist town hit hard by Cyclone Narelle.
The food-bowl region near Carnarvon, about 900km north of Perth, provides 80% of of the state’s bananas. Meanwhile, flooding risk remains in the state’s low-lying communities.
Continue reading...East coast slammed on Thursday night with wind and rain, while Friday brings freezing temperatures and marine warnings
Cyclone Narelle to make landfall today and bring possible flash flooding to Perth
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A dangerous swell has forced the suspension of some ferries across Sydney harbour, the latest in a spate of wild weather that has brought snowfall, power outages and storms to the country’s south-east.
Surf Life Saving NSW is warning the highest waves may surge close to 15 metres during the next 24 to 48 hours, which could be the biggest in 100 years, as dangerous swells and strong winds create deadly conditions.
Continue reading...Narelle weakens to a tropical low after bringing heavy rain to already-saturated parts of the Northern Territory
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Communities in Australia’s far north were again on flood alert as ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle continued its destructive westward journey on Monday, with forecasts suggesting the system could re-intensify and potentially threaten the Perth region this weekend.
Narelle had weakened to a tropical low system on Monday after bringing heavy rain to already-saturated parts of the Northern Territory over the weekend.
Continue reading...Second landfall expected over weekend in NT as Queensland premier says relatively limited damage so far ‘an incredibly good news story’
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Tropical Cyclone Narelle weakened in intensity on Friday evening after barrelling into far north Queensland as one of the state’s fiercest cyclones in living memory – downing trees, ripping off roofs and swelling rivers.
As of 4pm local time, the Bureau of Meteorology downgraded Narelle from a category 3 to category 2 storm, meaning while it was less severe there were still destructive winds near the centre of 100 km/h and wind gusts up to 150 km/h.
Continue reading...Massive storm tracking a path to Queensland coast, which intensified offshore Thursday morning to category 5, fuelled by warm waters in Coral Sea
Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to make landfall in far north Queensland on Friday morning as a monster category 5 storm, bringing destructive wind gusts of 250km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The severe cyclone rapidly intensified over the past 48 hours and in the early hours of Friday morning had built to a category 5 storm that was barrelling west, sitting about 150km east of the small town of Coen. Coen has a population of approximately 330.
Continue reading...Jim Chalmers hints concession on threshold for imports could finally lead to an agreement. Follow the latest updates live
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Two flights from Dubai land in Sydney and Melbourne
A second commercial flight landed in Sydney last night from Dubai and the first made its way to Melbourne from the Middle Eastern hub.
Continue reading...SA premier Peter Malinauskas warns residents to prepare for heavy falls and possible flash floods
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Late summer rain is causing havoc across Australia, with South Australia on flood watch, Victoria cleaning up after a downpour, and Sydney issuing a shark warning after heavy falls.
Almost all of South Australia, much of western Victoria and parts of western NSW were on flood watch as a slow-moving pressure system from central Australia moved east. Queensland had also seen severe rainfall.
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Greens senator says party wants native forest protections as part of nature law negotiations
The Greens’ environment spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young has appeared on ABC’s Insiders amid the government appealing to the minor party with concessions in order to pass their nature laws.
Three more years of the destruction of our native forests when we’ve got 2,000-plus species already endangered in this country, where we’ve got billions of dollars of taxpayer money already being spent subsidising an industry that’s about destroying our native forests. I mean, it’s 2025 and it’s time we ended native forest logging, protected these beautiful, ancient forests that aren’t just there for the richness of biodiversity, but they’re so important when it comes to combating climate change, they are carbon sinks.
I was probably finally convinced only in the final couple of days, to be honest, I had colleagues come and have chats. I have a really good relationship with Mark Speakman. It was a friendly chat with Mark. It was a hard chat, but it was a very friendly one. And then when I’m in, I’m in 100%. I think what a lot of people would do in my position is weigh up the pros and cons and think of all the reasons that I shouldn’t do it, but at the end of the day, the reasons I should outweighed those, and I’ll be a committed leader. I’m very clear eyed once I’ve made up my mind.
Continue reading...If it makes impact on Friday, it would be the earliest cyclone of the season to make landfall in Australia since 1973
If tropical cyclone Fina crosses the Northern Territory coast on Friday, it could equal the earliest cyclone to make landfall in Australia.
Fina intensified to category two storm on Wednesday night, the Bureau of Meteorology said, and was moving east about 370km north-east of Darwin before making an expected turn south on Thursday.
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