Tom Saunders

Heavy rain will drench Australia's east coast next week, but there will be no relief for drought-ravaged South Australia, Victoria and south-west New South Wales.

Increasingly complex technology means forecasts are significantly better than they were decades ago — here's why.

As South Australia and Victoria continue to face drought and unseasonable heat, there has been a notable absence of major rain systems. So, what's going on?

A run of showery and stormy days is soaking Australia's east coast, while a record drought across South Australia and Victoria continues to intensify.

From showers in the east to a chilly dawn service in the west, this is the Anzac Day weather forecast across Australia.

The deluge which battered south-west Queensland is now draining downhill to a catchment area five times the size of the UK.

Since last August, Australia has baked through above-average temperatures and the BOM is predicting another winter of unseasonable heat.

An AI forecast about ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred's path was far more accurate than leading weather models used by meteorological organisations.

Much of Australia is being drenched by rain or thunderstorms this weekend thanks to a rare southern intrusion of very moist equatorial air.

A mass of tropical air forecast to engulf Australia's east coast is set to bring more days of uncomfortable humidity alongside the chance of flooding rains.

With already nine tropical cyclones developing since December, and one potentially forming this week, Australia's busiest cyclone season in 19 years could be on the cards.

A blast of hot northerly winds from Australia's interior will send temperatures up to 15 degrees Celsius above average across south-east states this weekend.

Australia's east coast has been pounded by rain, wind and surf for a week, with Brisbane recording its highest daily rainfall in half a century.

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred's two-week journey through the Coral Sea is nearly over, however the most intense impacts are still ahead for most areas.

With Tropical Cyclone Alfred nearing the coastline, here's a day-by-day outline of the impacts to expect on the ground in south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales. 

With Cyclone Alfred on track to make landfall, here's what to expect about what will happen over the rest of the week. 

Parts of the northern NSW coast were already experiencing rain squalls and south-easterly winds on Wednesday morning, with forecasts predicting 6-metre swells in the ocean.

With Tropical Cyclone Alfred set to make landfall, being the first to do so in over 50 years, torrential rain and winds above 125 kilometres per hour are set to shortly follow.

The Bureau of Meteorology's latest three-month outlook issued indicates a mean temperature more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels for most of Australia.

There is a high probability Cyclone Alfred, currently around 1,000 kilometres offshore, will cross one of the most highly populated stretches of the Australian coast next week.

Although February is still peak severe weather season, the majority of extreme events this month are being exacerbated by abnormally warm waters off our coastlines.

Australia is now in the peak of the severe weather season and this weekend will offer up an assortment of atmospheric extremes.

Temperatures across south-east states are predicted to soar up to 12C above the January average, while the staple summer monsoon is nowhere to be seen in the tropics.

Australia's mean temperature, the average of all minimums and maximums, was 1.46 degrees Celsius above the 1961-1990 baseline. 

While most Australians will enjoy settled Christmas Day weather, conditions leading up to December 25 and from Boxing Day onwards are looking extreme.