Backpirch Weather

Our predictions are our own, and are not meant to replace official forecasts, directions, or advice.

@_velellavelella yes

@BackpirchCrew Did we really need a new portmanteau for this

Spliced together an 81-hour radar loop of the Alaskan Snowicane and my goodness it is insane. A tropical-looking storm made entirely of freezing rain and snow.

@weatherzone This is really quite cool.

There has been consistent lightning around the eye of Tropical #CycloneNarelle during the last 24 hours, making it possible to track the system approaching and crossing the coast by looking at the #lightning strikes alone. ⚡️ #TCNarelle #tropicalcyclone

(Sat-image credit: Windy)

🚨LANDFALL: After peaking as the most intense storm of 2026 yet, Cyclone Narelle has made landfall in the remote rainforest community of Lockhart River, Queensland, with ~140 MPH (220 kph) winds and a pressure of ~937 MBAR. This makes her just the 4TH CATEGORY 4+ Cyclone to strike Australia’s Cape York Peninsula on record, after Ita (2014), Yasi (2011), and Mahina (1899). Narelle is now the strongest landfalling storm globally so far this year.

Cyclones Horacio and Narelle, the two most feverish tempests of 2026. An interesting point of debate here is whether or not Narelle briefly peaked as a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. While the BoM’s estimate (925 mbar with 10-min. sustained winds of 140 mph) would typically be indicative of C5 status, the JTWC kept Narelle’s 1-min. sustained winds at 145 mph (C5 starts at ~157 mph). The JTWC also estimated Horacio to peak at a more intense 920 mbar back in February - but since they are not the official meteorological authority over either the SW Indian Ocean or Australian basins, the BoM’s 925 mbar for Narelle eclipses the MFR’s 935 mbar for Horacio. Thus, Narelle now technically takes the top spot for most powerful storm of the year (regardless of whatever her peak 1-min. sustained winds were).

With peak sustained winds of 145 MPH (230 kph) and a minimum pressure of 926 MBAR, Cyclone Narelle has surpassed Cyclone Horacio as Earth’s MOST INTENSE storm of 2026 thus far.

@SkylarDarkfox “Flurricane” is brilliant 😂.

@BackpirchCrew A very well-organized flurricane.

This pseudo Snowicane on Alaskan radar is the coolest thing you’ll see today.

@AUSSKY @SimonStormRider Yes, maximum rating on the Australian scale. A very potent storm that has fully taken advantage of the conducive conditions in the Coral Sea.

@BackpirchCrew @SimonStormRider In Australia currently rates as a Cat 5 (BoM)

JUST IN: Australian Cyclone Narelle has been upgraded to a Category 4 storm over the warm waters of the Coral Sea, with her core pressure crashing down to 935 MBAR. This makes her the most intense storm yet of the 2025-26 Australian Cyclone Season. Furious lightning activity is thoroughly electrifying the eyewall around Narelle’s pinhole eye as rapid intensification continues.

Cyclone Narelle’s pinhole eye has fully cleared out to the Coral Sea. We are likely witnessing the peak intensity for this ferocious storm in the Land Down Under.

Eyewall lightning in the northern quadrant has gone crazy on Windy satellite. Narelle is booming.

Extremely high-definition satellite imagery shows the dreaded rippling-effect of the convection around Cyclone Narelle’s ravenous inner eyewall. That is the product of deeply icy thunderstorms, with cloud tops as incredibly cold as -140 F (-95 C), rotating faster and faster as the eye pressure rapidly caves inward. Vortical hot towers and lightning bursts have been firing all day today within the core. Heed all orders and advice from local officials if you are in the far north of Queensland, Australia. This is a very intense storm churning your way. (Sat-image credit: SSEC/CIMSS)

(Sat-image credit: Zoom Earth)

Earlier today, the dusty, cyclone-like storm in the Mediterranean Sea made landfall just south of Benghazi and Ajdabiya, Libya, crossing the country’s arid shores with a relatively well-defined eye and a tiny swirl of thunderstorms. A very photogenic end to this Desert Medicane.

A very concerning look for Narelle on infrared satellite imagery now. The central convection pool is so dense and so bitterly cold that it is tightly consolidating a potential pinhole eye (where sea-level pressures have dropped into the 960s mbar). Northern Queensland, Australia is definitely in line for a major impact from this frigid Coral Sea Cyclone.

As expected, Cyclone Narelle’s early organization continues to proceed at a rapid clip. Central pressure is easily down to ~980 mbar at this point and an eye will soon clear to reveal the glistening surface of the Coral Sea below. Prepare now for a potential CAT 4 landfall in northern Queensland.

(Sat-image credit: Windy)

This swirling low-pressure storm is very nearly a Medicane, or Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone, and she could be on a trajectory to make landfall into the deserts of northern Libya soon. Notice the huge plume of dust on the eastern side of the storm getting pulled out to sea by the counter-clockwise circulation.