Blog posts and videos
Learn more about severe weather services from our videos and blog posts.
Severe weather updates - video playlist
These videos provide information to complement the Bureau's warnings and forecasts and to help you understand the current weather situation. These videos are released only when there is severe weather and are archived when the information is no longer up-to-date.
Severe weather videos
Learn more through our videos:
Severe weather blogging
Articles on severe weather from the Bureau’s blog.
Explainer: what is thunder?
01 June 2018
It is a dark and stormy night, and you see a spectacular flash of light in the sky—lightning. What's coming next? You guessed it…thunder! So what is thunder, how is it connected to lightning and what's the story with that distinctive rumbling sound?
Explainer: How does hail form?
24 May 2018
Whether it's peppering your window pane or battering your roof, hail can really make you sit up and take notice. But as well as creating an acoustic and visual spectacle, severe hailstorms have the potential to damage homes and cars, and cause life-threatening injuries. So how does hail form, and should you run for cover if it is forecast?
A bolt from the blue: what is lightning?
05 July 2017
Snaking through stormy skies, lightning is one of nature's most spectacular displays - but it can also be spectacularly dangerous. So what causes this high-voltage show and how can you track where it's happening?
Cool season tornadoes
26 July 2016
You might think that tornadoes only occur with summertime thunderstorms. In fact, southern parts of Australia can experience tornadoes all year round.
Tornado, twister, hurricane, tropical cyclone, typhoon - what's the difference?
05 November 2015
A thunderstorm is a form of turbulent weather accompanied by lightning and thunder. They are associated with a very tall cloud mass called a cumulonimbus cloud.
Cooking up a storm - how thunderstorms form
10 December 2013
A thunderstorm is a form of turbulent weather accompanied by lightning and thunder. They are associated with a very tall cloud mass called a cumulonimbus cloud.
Radar-derived rainfall accumulations
13 September 2012
Distribution and intensity of rainfall is notoriously difficult to measure. Rain gauges accurately measure rainfall at the points they are situated, but don't capture variation over an area. In contrast, radars have a good geographic coverage, but measure precipitation in the atmosphere rather than the amount of rain reaching the ground.
Weather radar
27 April 2012
Monitoring high impact weather with weather radars is an important part of the Bureau of Meteorology's services to the Australian community. Our network of 60 radars across the country provides vital information to our forecasters, the general public and private industry about severe weather threats.
Emergency services in severe weather events
23 March 2012
Weather affects all Australians, but some of us may also be affected by natural disasters - floods, cyclones and bushfires. These can impact on our health, property and environment so it is important to be prepared, know who your local emergency services are and how they can help you.