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Monsoon arrival triggers flood watches in NT, QLD

Source Weatherzone Wed 24 Dec 2025

The monsoon has developed over Australia for the first time this season, prompting flood watches in parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland over the Christmas period. The monsoon refers to a reversal of winds over the Australian tropics, where the dry east or southeasterly winds that prevail for much of the year are replaced with moisture-laden winds from the northwest. These rain-bearing monsoon winds affect northern Australia in periodic bursts throughout the wet season, which runs from November to April. Australia usually sees about two to four active phases of the monsoon each wet season. Image: Typical wind patterns and associated rainfall impacts during an active monsoon phase in northern Australia. Source: Weatherzone. Northwesterly winds have started flowing over northern Australia this week, marking the arrival of the Australian monsoon for the first time this wet season. As a result, some areas of the NT’s Top End received more than 100 mm of rain during the 24 hours ending at 9am on Tuesday, including 135 mm at Murganella Airstrip. The satellite images below show vast areas of cloud flowing over the country’s northern tropics on Tuesday, revealing the monsoon arriving for the first time this wet season. Image: Visible satellite images captured by the Himawari-9 satellite on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. Source: Weatherzone. The average monsoon onset date for Darwin is around December 28 to 29, so the monsoon arriving by the middle of this week is slightly earlier than usual. Rain is likely to become heavier and more widespread over the NT and Qld during the remainder of this week and will likely continue into early January. Flood watches have been issued for parts of the NT and Qld and flood warnings are likely to follow as the rain starts to fill rivers. This rain event may cut off outback roads in the coming one to two weeks, with heavy rain also expected to extend towards eastern Qld between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Be sure to check the latest flood watches and warnings in the coming days and weeks for the most up to date information in your area. - Weatherzone © Weatherzone 2025