Australia storm News

Australia Braces for More Wild Weather in Wake of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily has uprooted trees and felled powerlines in Australia’s Queensland state, leaving tens of thousands without electricity or phone service as the state braces for further wild weather into the weekend. The storm has weakened to a tropical …

Cyclone Kirrily Makes Landfall in Australia as Severe Storm

Australia is being lashed by damaging winds and heavy rainfall as Severe Tropical Cyclone Kirrily makes landfall, the biggest system to hit the Queensland coast in almost five years. Kirrily is crossing near Townsville as a Category 3 system, and …

Two Australian Resource-Rich Regions Brace for Potentially Destructive Storms

Two Australian resource-rich regions are bracing for potentially damaging storms that could lead to flooding, the latest threats after months of extreme weather events. A tropical low developing in the Coral Sea off Queensland state is likely to become a …

Cyclone Forming Near Australia’s Coast May Have ‘Severe Impact’

Australia’s resource-rich Queensland state is bracing for its second tropical cyclone in a little more than a month, with a storm off the coast expected to strengthen during the weekend. A tropical low developing in the Coral Sea is set …

Australia’s Usual Summer of Wildfires Is Now Being Soaked by Prolonged Wet Weather

Australians bracing for a return of scorching heat and wildfires are instead battling a prolonged deluge of rain across the country’s east that’s inundated homes and damaged crops from sugar to wheat. Vast areas of the country’s populous eastern states …

Climate Change Makes Forecasting Harder, Australia’s Agriculture Minister Says

Climate change is making it harder to accurately predict extreme weather events, said Australia’s agriculture minister Murray Watt, amid criticism the country’s meteorology department failed to provide timely warnings of this week’s deadly storms. “Climate change is having an impact,” …

Severe Storms Lash Australia’s East Coast, Killing 9 People

Nine people have died in Australia after severe storms lashed the nation’s east coast on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning there is a risk of more flash flooding even as the weather system moves …

Insured Losses for Australia’s October 2021 Storms Estimated at A$972M: PERILS

Insured losses for the severe storms, which hit Southern Australia on Oct. 28-30, 2021, are estimated at A$972 million (US$623.1 million), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that provides industry-wide catastrophe insurance data. This fourth and final estimate dropped …

Stricken Bulk Carrier Remains Stranded Near Sydney as Rescue Efforts Fail for 21 Crew

Twenty-one crew members remain aboard a bulk carrier which lost power in turbulent waters near Sydney, after overnight rescue attempts failed. The MV Portland Bay, which has been without power since early Monday, has been off the coast of New …

Insurance Losses for October Storms in Southern Australia Estimated at A$1.03B

The initial industry loss estimates for Southern Australia’s severe storms, which occurred during the period of Oct. 28-30, 2021, are A$1.03 billion (US$739 million), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that provides industry-wide catastrophe insurance data. In line with …