Cyclones are forming further north and south as the tropics expand due to climate change, according to new research.

Melbourne University climate expert Kevin Walsh says the Hadley Cell – the large movement of air near the equator, responsible for tropical cyclones’ formation – is expanding towards the poles.

His study analyses regional tropical cyclone formation from 1980-2014. Numbers declined around the equator and increased towards the poles from 1998, his paper says.

Poleward shifts of the Hadley Cell are expected to continue this century.

Professor Walsh’s paper says a recent study showed increased threat of tropical cyclones in locations that have not been historically prone to them.

Deloitte Principal Sharanjit Paddam recently told Insurance News (the magazine) the economic cost of natural disasters in Australia is expected to rise to $39 billion a year by 2050, with climate change and the southward shift of cyclones expected to "substantially increase" this figure.