In March 2025 Australia experienced the first cyclone to impact southeast Queensland in more than 50 years. Cyclones have usually occurred in northern Queensland and in tropical waters off Australia’s coast; it is less common for these storms to occur as far south as Cyclone Alfred did.
The oceans around Australia have warmed by about 1.1°C since 1900. Recent increases in sea surface temperatures have 9 of the 10 warmest years on record occurring since 2010. These warming trends are having wide-ranging effects on global weather, including the characteristics and impacts of cyclones.
Further reading
This paper explains how misinformation affects climate policy and what it means for the Climate Change Authority’s (the Authority’s) work.
Welcome to a new edition of On Good Authority. We look at Europe’s summer of heatwaves and fire, new global energy technology market data, and China’s new…
Geopolitical instability exposes the risks of oil and gas dependence, accelerating the drivers towards a clean energy future. Australia is well positioned to…