Tropical cyclones are forming further from the equator as the planet warms, bringing new regions into the zone of the intense storms including parts of eastern Australia, new research has found.

The findings are based on data for 1980-2014 analysed by Melbourne University scientists trying to understand how the expanding tropics are already affecting the development of cyclones.

“In most of the ocean basins, there appears to be a decrease in tropical cyclone formation closer to the equator, accompanied by an increase in formation further away from the equator,” said Kevin Walsh, a professor at the university's School of Earth Sciences, and a joint author of the paper published on Tuesday in Nature Climate Change.

Severe tropical cyclone Ita slammed into Queensland in 2014 as a category 5 storm. Credit:NOAA

The South Pacific is one basin where the increased southward formation and tracking is already evident, while the North Atlantic has so far seen little evidence of a shift.