Australia · Tropical cyclones
The 2026-27 Australian cyclone season
The Australian tropical cyclone season runs from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027. The Bureau of Meteorology lists no tropical cyclone warnings at the moment.
Current tropical cyclone warnings: Queensland
The Bureau of Meteorology has no tropical cyclone warnings current for Queensland. Bureau warnings page →
Warning titles and issue times from the Bureau of Meteorology's public warnings feed, © Commonwealth of Australia (terms), shown with links only: read each warning on the Bureau's site. Checked every 10 minutes; last received . Atmosphr is not affiliated with the Bureau.
Current tropical cyclone warnings: Western Australia
The Bureau of Meteorology has no tropical cyclone warnings current for Western Australia. Bureau warnings page →
Warning titles and issue times from the Bureau of Meteorology's public warnings feed, © Commonwealth of Australia (terms), shown with links only: read each warning on the Bureau's site. Checked every 10 minutes; last received . Atmosphr is not affiliated with the Bureau.
Current tropical cyclone warnings: the Northern Territory
The Bureau of Meteorology has no tropical cyclone warnings current for the Northern Territory. Bureau warnings page →
Warning titles and issue times from the Bureau of Meteorology's public warnings feed, © Commonwealth of Australia (terms), shown with links only: read each warning on the Bureau's site. Checked every 10 minutes; last received . Atmosphr is not affiliated with the Bureau.
El Niño and cyclones
The Bureau of Meteorology's Southern Hemisphere monitoring update of 29 September 2026 reported El Niño at near-record levels heading into the 2026-27 season. In El Niño years Australia has, on average, tended to see fewer tropical cyclones and a later first cyclone crossing, because the area where cyclones form shifts east into the Pacific. It is a tendency, not a guarantee: damaging cyclones still occur in El Niño years.
For the current outlook and climate driver updates, see the Bureau's ENSO and climate driver monitoring and its long-range outlooks.
Cyclones per season since 1972-73
Tropical cyclones (at least Category 1 at some point) with a track inside the Australian region box, 90°E to 160°E and 5°S to 40°S, from NOAA IBTrACS. Over the last 30 seasons the average is 10.7 a season. This box includes storms well offshore, so the count is higher than the number that affect the coast.
Regional pages
- Queensland cyclones: track maps, warnings and storm surge
- Western Australia cyclones: Pilbara, Kimberley and Gascoyne history
- Northern Territory cyclones: Darwin, Arnhem Land and the Gulf
Cyclone categories and typical gusts
The Bureau ranks cyclones from Category 1 (weakest) to Category 5 (strongest), based on maximum mean wind speed. The category describes wind only: it does not show how much rain, flooding or storm surge a cyclone will bring.
| Category | Maximum mean wind | Typical strongest gust |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 to 88 km/h | Up to 125 km/h |
| 2 | 89 to 117 km/h | 125 to 164 km/h |
| 3 (severe) | 118 to 159 km/h | 165 to 224 km/h |
| 4 (severe) | 160 to 199 km/h | 225 to 279 km/h |
| 5 (severe) | More than 200 km/h | More than 279 km/h |
Sources
Current warnings: Bureau of Meteorology public warnings feeds, titles and links only. Season counts: NOAA IBTrACS v04r01 (public domain), processed by Atmosphr. Seasonal outlooks and climate drivers: Bureau of Meteorology (linked).