May 2023 saw an unseasonably cold spell across Australia with over 100 weather stations registering record-breaking minimum temperatures for the month, contradicting the Bureau of Meteorology’s predictions for a warmer and drier May.
A very bright fireball exploded over northern Queensland, Australia at around 11:24 UTC (21:24 LT) on May 20, 2023, producing a loud sonic boom.
A very bright fireball was seen streaking across the night sky over Western Australia at 21:03 UTC on May 1, 2023 (05:03 LT on May 2). The event lasted about 15 seconds.
Tropical Cyclone “Ilsa” made landfall as a Category 5 system near Port Hedland, Western Australia around 16:00 UTC on April 13, 2023 (00:00LT on April 14), as the strongest cyclone to hit the region in 14 years.
Tropical Storm “Ilsa” formed on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, near the coast of Western Australia as the 7th named storm of the 2022/23 Australian region cyclone season. Landfall is expected east of Port Hedland late Thursday or early Friday (LT), as a Category 4 cyclone on the Australian cyclone scale.
Millions of fish have died in another mass kill in the lower Darling-Baaka river near Menindee, New South Wales, Australia last week. The area has been the site of several other mass fish kill events in recent years but the latest fish kill appears larger than the previous.
Northern Queensland is currently grappling with major flooding, with the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) warning of dangerously high levels in multiple rivers.
Remote communities in North Queensland are facing weeks of isolation as a “massive” logistical operation is underway to deliver supplies after heavy rainfall over the weekend. Despite being cut-off, graziers and locals have welcomed the rain, describing it as a “good flood.”
Severe thunderstorms hit New South Wales, Australia on February 9, 2023, bringing heavy rainfall and damaging winds. The storm caused officials to issue flash flooding warnings and prompted the NSW State Emergency Service to respond to over 600 calls for help.
Heavy rainfall and flooding continue to impact Queensland’s Central Coast. A Severe Weather Warning is current for heavy to locally intense rainfall between Ayr and St Lawrence, and adjacent inland areas, including Mackay, Proserpine and Bowen. Many catchments in northern and central Queensland are experiencing minor to major flooding, and dangerous flash flooding remains possible.
