Severe Category 3 Tropical Cyclone Seroja made the history books last night after making landfall just north of Perth in Western Australia (WA).

The cyclone is now exiting WA into the Southern Ocean area where it will combine with an even deeper low pressure system south of the Great Australian Bight. It will then track eastwards in the Roaring Forties towards Tasmania and NZ’s South Island.

Later this week this very deep, and large, Southern Ocean low will graze up against Tasmania and New Zealand’s West Coast bringing wind, rain and a temperature drop. Weather warnings may well be issued by BoM and MetService. (Niwa is not an official forecaster in NZ).

While unusual, storms do track into western Australia from time to time.

WeatherWatch.co.nz points out that Perth is actually well north of Auckland – which is why a storm like this isn’t really too surprising.