Weatherzone, By: Brett Worthington (ABC), 05/07/2013

Severe frosts and a cold spring in the United States have damaged wheat crops and delayed corn planting. The poor weather is threatening to slash American yields and increase the demand for Australian grain.

Market analyst Arlan Suderman, from Wichita in Kansas, says global grain prices will rise if poor conditions linger in the US.

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Weatherzone, By: Suzannah Baker, 05/07/2013

It's not just those on the land who are feeling the effects of the drought, fisherman in northern parts of the country are too. Gary Ward is the chairman of Gulf of Carpentaria commercial fishers association and has noticed a drastic drop in barramundi numbers.

He says the missing wet season is to blame for an 80 per cent reduction compared to last year. "Fishermen are battling to fill orders that they've been able to fill for many years." "There's a drought on the land, there's a drought in the sea." Mr Ward says they're hoping to get a cold snap in winter which could improve the situation.

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Weatherzone, By: Press Release, 05/07/2013

Western Australia is bracing for a wild few days of intense wind, rain, thunderstorms and waves with potential for significant damage, according to weatherzone.com.au. From Tuesday night to Friday the wind, rain and storms will be far reaching across the west and south of the state but focused on the southwest, particularly the area from Perth to Albany.

"Wind will be strong enough to damage buildings and bring down trees and power lines. Storms will be intense enough to enhance the wind and rain and lead to flash flooding. And waves will be large enough to erode beaches. There is potential for wind gusts to reach 120km/h, rainfall to amount to 60-to-120mm and wave heights to exceed five metres," Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said. There is still time to do some tidying up around the yard and clean the gutters before the peak of the weather hits on Wednesday.

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Weatherzone, By: Brett Dutschke, 05/05/2013

After a red hot few months Central Australia is still exceeding 30 degrees each day, enabling it to become the hottest start to the year on record. Every recording station in the Alice Springs area has been reaching at least 30 degrees every day for the past week and should do so for a few more. This is about seven degrees above average for this time of year.

Some locations will get close to breaking May records for consecutive days of 30 degrees or warmer. Alice Springs' May record for 30-degree heat is nine consecutive days, set in 1999. The central Australian town has just overtaken 2005 as the hottest start to a year in 70 years of records.

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Weatherzone, By:Mellissa Mackellar, 05/01/2013

May has kicked off with unusually warm weather in southwestern parts of Western Australia, after many parts had record breaking heat during April. Perth had its hottest April in 116 years of records, with an average maximum of 28.5 degrees. This has only happened three times since records began. In terms of minima it was the capital's second hottest April on record, second only to April 1962.

In the Great Southern District Narrogin, Brookton, Corrigin and Pingelly all broke records for minimum and maximum temperatures in April. Elsewhere, Esperance hasn't had a hotter April in at least 20 years, while for Medina you need to go back at least 26 years. It has been nearly a decade since Kalgoorlie had such hot April days.

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