February 29, 2024 1:18 am
Published by Climate Extremes
Globally, 2023 was a year of extremes. Here we present a selection of extreme events from around the world. January January in Auckland, New Zealand was its wettest month recorded with 27th January its wettest day on record causing catastrophic flooding, as an atmospheric river lay stationary over the region. February Tropical Cyclone Freddy was declared the longest lasting and most energetic tropical cyclone ever seen, resulting in over 1400 deaths in Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique. March A heatwave over South America... View Article
February 29, 2024 1:11 am
Published by Climate Extremes
Climate extremes are changing fast and it’s hard to keep on top of those changes. Developed by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, a new climate dashboard provides the ability to examine trends of climate extremes using additional indicators of extremes. The climate dashboard (https://www.climdex.org/dashboard/) enables easy and reliable access to data. Examining temperature and rainfall extremes can be challenging. Here we highlight temperature extremes. Figure 1 shows two temperature measures – trends in the hottest day and coldest night... View Article
February 29, 2024 1:08 am
Published by Climate Extremes
Antarctic sea ice extent has a large seasonal cycle: it grows steadily from March to September and rapidly declines from October to February. Satellite records for sea ice extent began in 1979 with Antarctic sea ice extent relatively stable and with a small significant increasing trend from 2006 onward. Between 2007-2015 Antarctic sea ice extent was mostly above average throughout the year. From 2016, Antarctic sea ice extent shifted to below average, setting summer minimum extent record lows while the winter... View Article
February 29, 2024 1:06 am
Published by Climate Extremes
In mid-December, Tropical Cyclone Jasper hit tropical north Queensland, unleashing formidable winds, torrential rainfall and flooding. Following landfall, the cyclone stalled as a tropical low over Cape York, contributing to a week of continuous torrential rainfall. The prolonged deluge inflicted extensive damage across eastern parts of Cape York contributing to a week of continuous torrential rainfall. Tropical Cyclone Jasper developed in the northern Coral Sea on 5th December 2023. It made landfall as a category 2 tropical cyclone near Bloomfield on the north Queensland coast on... View Article
February 29, 2024 1:02 am
Published by Climate Extremes
On the afternoon of 10th November 2023, a severe thunderstorm passed through the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane. A large volume of hail fell, and damaging winds were also observed. A high-pressure system over New Zealand and an associated ridge over the coast of south- east Queensland resulted in moisture from the ocean being transported into the region on 10th November. Strong surface heating and hot afternoon temperatures, coupled with the high moisture availability, created an atmospheric environment favourable for... View Article
February 29, 2024 12:58 am
Published by Climate Extremes
Throughout 21st and 22nd October, a slow-moving low- pressure system spent two days over Tasmania, bringing the heaviest rain day on the 22nd for over a year to many regions, including Hobart. This was followed by another system, which brought strong winds to the state on the 24th. The combination of these two systems brought down trees and caused widespread damage. A low-pressure system developed over the Great Australian Bight on 20th October and tracked south-eastwards towards Tasmania. On the... View Article
February 29, 2024 12:55 am
Published by Climate Extremes
In late October 2023, the state of Queensland experienced a series of bushfires, marking one of the earliest fire seasons since satellite records began in 2001. Over 1000 fires burned across the state, with significant fires occurring in the Western Downs region, located approximately 300 km west of Brisbane. On 23rd October, multiple fires started in the Western Downs region and were rapidly pushed toward the town of Tara due to changing winds. These fires maintained their intensity over the following days resulting in Tara... View Article
February 29, 2024 12:52 am
Published by Climate Extremes
The Gippsland region of eastern Victoria experienced compounding fires and floods during the first week of October 2023 (Figure 1). Gippsland receives the bulk of its rainfall between late autumn and early spring. Temperatures during winter were above average while rainfall was below average, producing a dry landscape. September 2023 received less than 40% of the typical September rainfall. Dried vegetation is a critical ingredient for runaway wildfires, providing the fuel required for the unseasonably early bushfires. On 30th September, the warm, dry, gusty... View Article
February 29, 2024 12:49 am
Published by Climate Extremes
Extreme temperatures 10°C to 20°C above average occurred over large parts of South Australia from 16th to 19th September 2023. At Ceduna, the temperature reached 39.8°C on 17th September, which is the highest recorded September temperature in Ceduna since records began. This temperature was 18.2°C above the September average temperature. The maximum September temperature record was also broken at Port Augusta, where the temperature reached 38.4°C. Winds coming from the north resulted in dry and warm air blowing in from... View Article
February 29, 2024 12:46 am
Published by Climate Extremes
After a strong start, Australia’s snowsports season came to an early finish, with Australia’s warmest winter on record contributing to rapid snow decline in the alps. As well as being popular for winter sports, the Australian Alps are important for renewable energy generation, hosting the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme. In the Australian Alps, cold weather and snow are generally associated with cold fronts. During the 2023 winter, a combination of continued human-caused global warming and natural weather systems meant that far... View Article
