Astonishing ‘mega cloud’ spotted over Australia – so what exactly is it and how will it impact the weather

A huge cloud band 6,000 kilometers long currently stretches across Australia.

The band of clouds can be seen on satellite images hovering over northwestern Western Australia to the southwestern coast of New Zealand.

Despite the grim appearance of the weather phenomenon, Australians have been told not to worry as it doesn’t appear to bring much rain, according to Weatherzone.

While some cloud bands could carry massive downpours, meteorologists say the rain pouring through Australia this week is ‘largely dry’.

Parts of WA, South Australia, Victoria and southern NSW received a few millimeters of rain overnight, but there is not expected to be much wetter weather on the way.

Because this cloud band is located in the mid to high levels of the atmosphere, it does not contain as much moisture as clouds at lower levels, meaning little to no rain falls.

Sydney is expected to experience some rain on Thursday, with a high of 23 degrees Celsius.

Melbourne will be mainly dry with temperatures hovering in the low teens, while a high of 21 degrees Celsius is expected in Canberra.

Showers are expected in Hobart over the next few days, while Adelaide will be sunny and warm.

Those in Brisbane will enjoy warm and sunny days in the 20s and 30s, while Perth will see similar weather.

Darwin has a 50 percent chance of rain in the coming days, with temperatures rising to 35 degrees Celsius.

It comes after a rare northeasterly cloud band brought intense rainfall across Australia in July, flooding the central, southern and eastern regions of the country.

Parts of Queensland, South Australia and NSW were reported to have been drenched by as much as 60mm for several days.