Severe storms bring a complex mixture of weather conditions, often in a very localised area. This unpredictability can make them very damaging, and very hard to study too.
Bushfires were the most common disaster in New South Wales over the past decade.
AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy
Most people in Australia’s southeast are familiar with the stormy weather known as East Coast Lows. But they might not realise how much scientific progress has been made in understanding them.
Was the prime minister right about storms and global warming?
AAP/Lukas Coch
Was Malcolm Turnbull right to say that larger and more frequent storms are one of the predicted consequences of climate change – but that you can’t attribute any particular storm to global warming?
Most people die in floods when they choose to go into the water.
AAP Image/Dan Peled
Instead of trying to maintain our usual routines in the face of huge disruptions, we should use them as a welcome opportunity to mix things up.
While firefighters battled widespread fires in New South Wales in October 2013, hundreds of thousands of people turned to social media and smartphone apps for vital updates.
AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts
Terry Flew, Queensland University of Technology and Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology
When disaster strikes, more people than ever are turning to social media to find out if they’re in danger. But Australian emergency services need to work together more to learn what works to save lives.
The dust storm that turned Sydney red in 2009 triggered plankton blooms in the Tasman Sea, demonstrating how we might fertilise the ocean to take up more carbon dioxide.
Hurricane Arthur photographed by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst.
ESA/NASA
Kerry Emanuel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The latest science on hurricanes and climate change explained – vital information for coastal regions to prepare for the effects of more intense storms.
Flooding during Hurricane Sandy devastated New York City’s transportation and power infrastructure.
Jason Howie/flickr
Climate warming is predicted to intensify rainfall patterns. But new research suggests this could even happen within individual storms, as warmer weather makes them more likely to contain short intense bursts.