Bureau of Meteorology's pick of Australia’s best weather images

FROM ferocious storms bearing down on warships to golden sunsets over snowy plains, these images perfectly capture Australia’s varied weather.

ONE image shows the cold moon rising above a granite tor in the desolate Snowy Mountains with Mars making a guest appearance; another a traffic-choked Sydney street lashed with distorting rain.

Very different but both have been singled out as being among the best examples of images that have captured Australia‘s contrasting weather conditions.

Storms over the Exercise KAKADU fleet off the Northern Territory coast. Picture: Kayla Hayes / ABIS

The annual Bureau of Meteorology Australian Weather Calendar assembles 13 images from six states and the Australian Antarctic Territory — each one illustrating a different weather phenomenon.

Central Sydney distorted by rain on a windscreen, New South Wales. Picture: Nitin Saksena

July’s image captures a stunning crack of lightning over the Kimberley. April’s is the view from a Flying Doctor’s plane as it pieces it way through giant altocumulus clouds glowing an eerie orange.

Andrea Peace, a meteorologist at the Bureau, said the images had been chosen to represent the full spectrum of Australian weather.

Sunset through fog at Mount Hotham, Victoria. Picture: Jon Bagge

“The January image was taken at Mount Hotham and features a vivid orange sunset over a snowy landscape,” said Ms Peace.

“When Sun is low to the horizon, light travels further through the atmosphere and light at shorter wavelengths, blue light, gets scattered more leaving the red and orange hues to reflect from dust cloud and mist particles making for as spectacular image.”

Lightning over Lake Argyle in the Kimberley, Western Australia. Picture: Ben Broady

“December’s image features the aurora australis at Davis Station in Antarctica. Also called the Southern lights, it’s a common sight in Antarctica,” said Ms Peace.

The aurora australis at Davis Station in Antarctica. Picture: Barend Becker

“When charged particles from solar flares approach the earth they are directed towards the poles and when entering the atmosphere they collide with atoms and trigger light emissions.”

The patterns and shapes of the aurora are determined by magnetic fields and the flow of the charged particles.

A path through the clouds between Townsville and Richmond, Queensland. Picture: Captain Victoria (Vicki) Harrison.

CEO and Director of Meteorology, Dr Andrew Johnson, said he was excited about the collection of images featured in this year’s calendar.

“Every year the Australian Weather Calendar stands out due to its exceptional quality and detail with every image accompanied by a scientific explanation of the phenomena featured,” he said.

A full moon alongside the planet Mars shining through cirrostratus clouds over Kosciuszko National Park. Picture: Luke Tscharke