Styx

I am going to go out on a limb here by saying Tasmania has just had its biggest snow event of the century. This is hard to quantify because of the size of the island and its different mini climate zones, but the variables I have used are a) traffic disruption across large areas b) rarity of low-level snow on the ground in places- at or near sealevel - c) quantity of snow. Hobart had more favorable conditions in August 2015, but its been a snow bonanza in so many other places over the last 24 hours. Later, I will write some more and post some of the better pictures. The winter snow drought of 2020 is officially over. Cold front brings snow to Tasmania as weather alert issued for damaging winds - ABC News WWW.ABC.NET.AU Snow falling across Tasmania causes power cuts and road closures, stranding some motorists on the major north-south highway. The Bureau of Meteorology warns severe weather is predicted to...

July - Hobart, Tasmania Very dry. This was the fourth driest July in 138 years of records, but YTD rainfall is near average. A mean temperature anomaly of -0.1c below 1981-2010 or +0.2c above 1961-1990. Mean maximum: 12.5 ( +0.2 ) Mean minimum: 4.6 ( -0.3 ) Rainfall: 12mm ( average 54mm ) Rain days ( +1mm ) : 4/from 9 Benign winter weather continues with very little snow on the mountain. A front crossed overnight on the 1st with 5mm - the month's wettest day. A front on the 7th brought 3mm and a dusting of snow to 800m. High pressure quickly followed and was centred over Tasmania with morning fog - but cloud coming in from the west on the 10th and 11th made these pair of days cold - but calm. High pressure built to the south east and a bit more wind lifted the temperature but the 18th was cold again as cloud started to arrive just after daybreak. This was well ahead of an approaching front building to the south west which crossed later on the 19th. Most of the 19th was sunny and mild prior to the front with a strengthening wind from the north. The 20th saw a colder south-westerly wind set in behind the front with a few showers and snow to 800m. The 21st-31st was dry and mild - high pressure was dominant and near stationary over South Australia, and winds were from the west-northwest on our side of it. Extremes in daily temperature for July ( records since 1882 ) : High max: 15.6.....31st ( record 22.1 in 1901 ) Low max: 8.6..... 10th ( record 4.7 in 1888 ) High min: 8.7.....5th ( record 12.9 in 1985 ) Low min: 0.5.....8th ( record -2.8 in 1981 ) Historically dry July:

An east coast low off New South Wales is bringing heavy snow to alpine regions - 60 to 80cm over the last 36 hours and more to come. This is a very high snowfall rate by historical standards. At the end of the week hydrologists will be measuring the snow depth at Spencers Creek ( 1830m ) near Thredbo, and will be publishing an official figure, as they have done for 70 years on a near weekly basis. The long-term annual snow depth peak is 200cm so just about half way there following a 34cm reading last week. In Tasmania there's hardly anything around but high pressure is at least chilling things down a bit.

June - Hobart, Tasmania Wet with a mean temperature anomaly of +0.4c compared to 1981-2010 or +0.5c compared to 1961-1990. Mean maximum: 12.8 ( +0.4 ) Mean minimum: 5.7 ( +0.4 ) Rainfall: 84mm ( average 53mm ) Rain days ( +1mm ) : 11/from 15 Fairly dry during the first half of the month with rather cold nights. A dusting of snow to about 1000m into the 3rd and 6th behind cold fronts that produced only a local shower or two. A strong cold front crossed on the 16th with showers ( 11mm ) in colder southerly winds and a snowline of 500m by the end of the day. The cold change was brief, it was followed by high pressure but cloud started to stream in from the west turning days cold but calm. The cloud was associated with a developing cut off low well to the west which moved to the north of Tasmania then off the north-east coast. This produced almost 60mm of rain between the 21st-23rd with onshore south-east winds around the low. The highest daily fall was 41mm into the 23rd. Three times this amount fell on the mountain. The rain eased to drizzle patches as the low moved away to the east. A front crossed on the 26th bringing a shower or two. It was sunny with rather cold nights between the 27th-30th under high pressure. Extremes in daily temperature for June ( records since 1882 ) : High max: 16.9......1st ( record 20.6 in 1907 ) Low max: 8.7.....18th ( record 4.3 in 1985 ) High min: 12.5.....16th ( record 15.0 in 2016 ) Low min: 1.5.....6th ( record -2.8 in 1972 )

Not much of a winter in Australia so far! Minimal snow cover on the mountains and only at the very highest levels. Colder nights in parts have taken the edge off the warmer days. In Western Australia and northern Australia it has been anomalously very warm. Yesterday, Darwin had its hottest June day on record with 35.0c ( 3 above average ). The average temperature in the tropics this month is almost running at late wet season values. Darwin highest temperatures in June ( records since 1941 ) 35.0c.......2020 15th 34.6.........2016 27th 34.5.........2003 5th 34.5.........1980 2nd 34.5.........1958 1st

Autumn review for Australia Mean temperature anomaly ( compared to 1961-1990 ) : Mar......+0.7 Apr......+1.6 Fifth warmest May.....-0.6

May - Hobart, Tasmania A very dry month with a mean temperature anomaly of +0.1c compared to 1981-2010 or +0.5c compared to 1961-1990. It was the driest May for 12 years. Mean maximum: 15.5 ( +0.4 ) Mean minimum: 7.5 ( -0.1 ) Rainfall: 16mm ( average 47mm ) Rain days ( +1mm ) : 5/from 11 A month dominated by high pressure with cold fronts cutting in from the west/south-west bringing quick rain, then only a shower or two. The wettest day was 6mm into the 3rd. A dusting of snow to about 1100m into the morning of the 3rd and 13th - a very poor showing for the month! The second half of May was very dry with less than 1mm of rain. A colder southerly flow developed behind a front and persisted for a few days as high pressure slowly approached from the west. Frost and sunshine followed on the 26th/27th then very mild as high pressure moved to the east bringing winds off the continent, with some cloud at times. Extremes in daily temperature for May ( records since 1882 ) : High max; 18.9.....29th ( record 25.7 in 1997 ) Low max: 11.2.....25th ( record 6.1 in 1921 ) High min: 11.1.....31st ( record 16.2 in 2005 ) Low min: 0.9.....26th ( record -1.6 in 1902 )

May was the first colder than average month in Australia ( compared to the 1961-1990 period ) since October 2016 according to the National climate report just released by the BoM - a pretty decent anomaly too of -0.6c. The cold day in Queensland on May 23rd was also historically significant. Easily the coldest May day on record for the state for average temperature, -0.5c below the previous record set in 2012.

Almost the entire stretch of Queensland's coast had its coldest or one of its coldest May days on record yesterday. Cloud streaming down the from the tropics with light rain in parts sealed in cool air moving up from the south. Tropical cities such as Rockhampton, Townsville and Mackay had a maximum of 12-14c ( about 12-14 below average ) and Brisbane's maximum of 15.1c ( 9 below average ) was its third coldest May day since records began in 1887. A bit more detail with pictures below Brisbane shivers through coldest May day in almost a century, other Queensland towns smash records - ABC News WWW.ABC.NET.AU Some of Queensland's coastal towns have shivered through their coldest May day in more than a hundred years, figures from the Bureau of Meteorology show.

April - Hobart, Tasmania This was the wettest April in 9 years and the coolest for 5 years. The mean temperature anomaly was +0.3c compared to 1981-2010 or +0.4c compared to 1961-1990. Mean maximum: 17.3 ( -0.5 ) Mean minimum: 10.4 ( +1.0 ) Rainfall: 78mm ( average 50mm ) Rain days ( +1mm ) : 10/from 12 This season is now modestly wet after a very dry period. At the beginning of the month a low pressure trough developed over south-east Australia, fed by tropical moisture from the Indian Ocean. The trough dipped south to form a low over Tasmania producing 36mm into the 3rd. It was humid. This was the wettest day in almost two years. The low moved away to the south east on the 3rd to be followed by a cold front ( 10mm ) and colder air with a shower behind. A dusting of snow to about 1000m asl into the 5th. The remainder of the month was zonal westerly with regular fronts bringing bands of rain followed by a shower or two in briefly cooler air from the south-west. A dusting of snow to about 1100m into the 17th. On the 29th/30th a very active cold front moved up into eastern Australia as a broad deep area of low pressure developed over Tasmania. 13mm into the 30th was the second wettest day of the month. This month had a narrow band of temperature and less snow than average. Extremes in daily temperature for April ( records since 1882 ) : High max: 22.1.....3rd ( record 31.0 in 2014 ) Low max: 13.0.....19th ( record 7.7 in 1967 ) High min: 14.5.....2nd,26th ( record 18.6 in 1959 ) Low min: 5.2.....9th ( record 0.7 in 1888 )

Perth crushes April heat record today ; 39.5c ( 13 above average ) shortly before 2pm. Appears the city beaches escaped a lock-out, but were police patrolled. Hot weather ends and weather pattern not favorable for heat to make it to the east. Perth highest temperatures in April ( records since 1897 ) 39.5.....2020 11th 37.6.....1910 9th 37.3.....2013 8th 37.1.....1971 3rd 36.7.....1906 5th

Glorious autumn weather in Western Australia which will continue into Easter. It may be so good the authorities will close the beaches in Perth to avoid crowds and the health risk ( beach bans have been in place in other states for a while ). Perth's forecast temperature is 36c on Good Friday and 37c on Saturday ( average is 26c ). The April record is 37.6c in 1910 so that'll be something to watch. Last Easter Western Australia had its first April snow in 49 years - so quite a contrast.

March - Hobart, Tasmania This was the wettest March in 17 years taking a small bight out of the building rainfall deficit. It was the first wetter than average month since August and only the second wetter than average month out of the last 15 months. This was the coolest March in 5 years with a mean anomaly of -0.4c below 1981-2010 or -0.3c below 1961-1990. Mean maximum: 20.0 ( -0.3 ) Mean minimum: 10.9 ( -0.5 ) Rainfall: 72mm ( average 44mm ) Rain days ( +1mm ) : 8/from 10 Autumn starts wet with tropical moisture and a decaying ex-cyclone streaming across the country from the Indian Ocean, combining with cold fronts moving in from the west. 17mm on the 2nd, 13mm on the 5th and 25mm on the 6th were the month's biggest daily falls, followed by a colder change on the 7th with a few showers ( 3mm ). A dry, cool recovery with southerly winds ahead of an approaching high from the west, then briefly warmer as high pressure moved to the east, ahead of another front. The second half of the month was often cloudy with regular fronts moving in from the Southern Ocean - scattered showers, mainly over the mountain, in a fairly weak westerly flow, but briefly warm and sunny at the end. This month had 10 days with precipitation, 8 days having 1mm or more. Extremes in daily temperature for March ( records since 1883 ) : High max: 27.3.....17th ( record 39.1 in 2019 ) Low max: 14.1.....8th ( record 8.9 in 1925 ) High min: 15.4.....6th ( record 21.1 in 1906 ) Low min: 5.3.....26th ( record 1.8 in 1926 )

Have you had a warmer than average month yet?

Nice rainfall recovery in Australia this year after the driest year on record last year, as IOD plummets to neutral. Especially pleasing for drought ravaged agricultural farmlands of New South Wales. There has been no temperature extremes either in the last two months after a wild ride of records during the first half of summer.

Huge and unprecedented measures for us. Tasmania has 10 confirmed cases. Tasmania's population is 525,000 and is close to the size of Ireland.

Cases surge in Australia today. State of Emergency was recently declared during the bushfires and has been used during big floods and Queensland cyclones. Clearly this is much more serious and probably indefinite.

Big legal news from Australia. All juries suspended in the state of Victoria indefinitely. I wonder if other states will follow suit. Victoria has 36 confirmed cases, mostly in Melbourne. There was a +31 jump nationally today.

Tasmania had its 5th confirmed case last night. The first four are international students from different parts of the world. No word yet if the fifth is the first community transmission. Some discussion that Tasmania should close its borders to the mainland but that's a tricky proposition as it will challenge the Australia constitution on free movement between the states. Major supermarket chains here now rationing pasta, flour, rice, toilet paper, paper towels, tissues,some medicines and hand sanitiser.

Australia cabinet minister goes down

Tasmania's tally stands at 3 - all international fly-ins. The biggest news so far for us is the cancellation of Hobart's Dark MoFo winter festival in June. It has become one of the biggest winter festivals in Australia.

Yikes it's here. I expect supermarket mayhem from tomorrow.

February - Hobart, Tasmania This was the coolest February since 2011 with a mean anomaly of -0.9c below 1981-2010 or -0.7c below 1961-1990. No relief from the very dry weather of the past year. Mean maximum: 20.8 ( -1.3 ) Mean minimum: 12.1 ( -0.5 ) Rainfall: 16mm ( average 39mm ) Rain days ( +1mm ) : 7/from 14 A chilly end to summer with high pressure centered mostly to the south of Tasmania. High pressure approaching from the south west brought cool southerly winds and high pressure centered to the south brought onshore easterly winds. These easterly winds delivered a long string of dull days with low lying cloud and drizzle patches, mostly over the hills. Winds tended warmer subtropical n/e'ly on the 14th ahead of a front at night. This front produced 3.4mm which was the months wettest day. Toward the end of February a shift of high pressure north, to be centered over and to the east of Tasmania with sunnier skies and warmer northerly winds off the continent with temperature climaxing on the 25th. A cold front brought a few showers on the 26th with a dusting of snow overnight to 1200m asl. High pressure building to the east at the end of the month returned the warmth and sunshine. Extremes in daily temperature for February ( records since 1883 ) : High max: 31.3.....25th ( record 40.1 in 1899 ) Low max: 15.1.....3rd ( record 9.6 in 1964 ) High min: 19.9.....1st ( record 24.7 in 1912 ) Low min: 7.5.....22nd ( record 3.4 in 1980 )

OMGG it's landed in Tasmania for the first time