Other types of severe weather
We provide severe weather warnings for potentially hazardous or dangerous weather that is not solely related to severe thunderstorms, tropical cyclones or bushfires.
These types of severe weather hazards include damaging or destructive winds, heavy rain, abnormally high tides, damaging waves and blizzards in Alpine areas.
Damaging winds are defined as sustained winds of gale force (63 km/h) or more or wind gusts of 90 km/h or more (100 km/h or more in Tasmania).
Heavy rain which may lead to localised flash flooding.
Abnormally high tides which are likely to cause localised coastal flooding.
Damaging Surf ("Dangerous Surf" in QLD) may lead to significant beach erosion or damage to property.
Blizzard conditions are defined as strong winds in conjunction with blowing or falling snow with an expected reduction in horizontal visibility to less than 200 metres.
Typical weather patterns that can cause these severe weather hazards include:
- Recently decayed tropical cyclones moving inland or into southern regions - sometimes interacting with cold fronts
- Monsoon lows producing widespread gales and/or rain in the tropics
- "East coast lows": Deep low pressure systems that can form in the Tasman Sea and affect the east coast of Australia
- Vigorous squally cold fronts
- Strong pressure gradients, often associated with deep low pressure systems or cold fronts, causing land gales
- Distant tropical cyclones or deep southern low pressure systems producing ocean swells at Australian shores causing dangerous surf