extreme weather

Cyclone Freddy was the most energetic storm on record. Is it a harbinger of things to come?

20 Mar 2023

The record-breaking Cyclone Freddy was a wake-up call to prepare for the storms of the future.

Very ominous and dark rain clouds move in over the Sydney Harbour Bridge on an otherwise sunny day

Think storms are getting worse? Rapid rain bursts in Sydney are 40% more intense in last 2 decades

11 Nov 2022

The growing threat of flash flooding as a result of more intense rapid rain bursts means the city needs to update its flood defences.

Stormy times still ahead unless lessons are learnt from recent floods

24 May 2022

Australia needs more investment in hydrological modelling and new infrastructure to reduce the impact of major flood events, UNSW expert says.

Avalon rock pool in Sydney in stormy weather

La Niña has been declared. Why should we care?

24 Nov 2021

With La Niña prolonging the wet season, there is an increased risk of flooding along the north, east and southeast regions.

There’s no end to the damage humans can wreak on the climate. This is how bad it’s likely to get

17 Aug 2021

Academic research can shed light on crucial questions about what life on Earth will be like under the most plausible emissions scenarios. And a warning: the answers are confronting.

Extreme heat and rain: thousands of weather stations show there's now more of both, for longer

07 Jul 2020

As the planet continues to warm, extreme weather events such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall are becoming more frequent, intense and longer, according to global weather data.

Global warming increases rain in world's driest areas

08 Mar 2016

Global warming will increase rainfall in some of the world's driest areas over land, with not only the wet getting wetter but the dry getting wetter as well – a phenomenon that could lead to more flash flooding.

Asking the right questions about extreme weather

26 Nov 2015

Is climate change to blame for the recent record temperatures? Maybe, but it’s not a simple case of cause and effect, writes Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick.

New rainfall monitoring system at Fowlers Gap records extreme downpour

14 Jan 2015

The NSW desert has been hit by record-breaking rainfall, with the biggest downpour in 45 years recorded at UNSW’s Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station.

Winter heatwaves are nice, as extreme weather events go

27 May 2014

Winter warmth may be welcome but it can have adverse impacts – and the damage may not be obvious until it is too late, writes Sarah Perkins.

extreme weather

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