Millions of Aussies to be lashed by rain bomb

Parts of Victoria, New South Wales and southwest Queensland are set to feel the brunt of the weather event. “While there is some uncertainty regarding where and how much rain these two rainbands will deliver, there is good agreement between forecast models that the rain will affect a broad area of Victoria, New South Wales and southwest Queensland,” said Weatherzone. “The heaviest falls are expected to occur in Australia’s southeast inland – across the Murray-Darling Basin – two rainbands could deliver accumulated falls of 50

to 100 millimetres over the next seven days.” Last weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology noted that “intermittent showers are possible along both the east and west coasts” of Australia and “rain is forecast to become heavier and more widespread next week.” On Friday, the Bureau announced the band of rain was passing over Western Australia and was expected to “move across the country over the next few days.” “It will weaken for a time, but on Monday this band will strengthen, bringing heavier and more

persistent rainfall,” they said. After crossing the Murray-Darling Basin on Monday, another burst of rainfall is expected midweek, and is set to bring some colder air, as well as some timely alpine snow for ski resorts. According to the BoM, “it is unusual for more northern areas to see this much rain at this time of year.” In Queensland, south-easterly winds have pushed moisture from the Coral Sea onto the state’s north tropical coast, resulting in showers Most rain in the region usually falls between

October and April, and it’s “very unusual” for heavy rainfall to occur in June. According to Weatherzone, the “unseasonable” weather could lead to “many areas” across the country seeing between 40 to 80 millimetres of rain over the coming days. The warning comes less than two weeks after the BoM officially declared Australia’s “strongest ever” El Nino event, despite the strangely wet start to winter. But meteorologists say that apparent contradiction does not mean El Nino has failed to arrive. “El Nino often brings drier

conditions to central and eastern Australia in winter and spring, but Australia’s weather is also shaped by other climate factors, so outcomes can vary,” said the Bureau. Forecasters say the Indian and Southern oceans are temporarily offsetting El Nino’s drying influence, but the odds still favour a hotter and drier second half of 2026 across much of southern and eastern Australia. Surprisingly, a different climate factor is behind the current predictions. The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is the north-south movement of westerly winds that flow

around Antarctica. Rainfall, temperatures and storm systems across the Southern Hemisphere can be affected by the changes. It can flip between Positive and Negative phases every one to three weeks. This rapid shift accounts for wildly unpredictable weather from week to week in many parts of the country. The SAM is currently very strongly positive, and is at its highest level since May 2023, helping draw moisture over Australia from the east and increasing rainfall, according to Weatherzone. Meteorologists across the planet are closely monitoring

conditions across the tropical Pacific, with some predictions warning 2027 could be the hottest year in history. Stanford climate economist Marshall Burke says that several climate scientists now expect 2027 to become the hottest year on record because of the lagging effects of the developing El Nino. The World Meteorological Organisation and UK Met Office have both agreed in similar statements.

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