Australian Weather

[knocker]

I meant to add this to my earlier post. If you go to the BOM site you will find a PDF file containing a huge amount of detail on the requirements for the siting of BOM climate stations. Plus another file concerning data collection. I find BOM are second to none in this respect.

 

It should be noted that BOM recently again came under attack from the gutter press, namely Murdoch's Australian, concerning their methods. Swiftly joined by Australia's resident climate change deniers led by Jo Nova. They were of course found to be lying.

 

They were naturally soon joined by their overseas arm on Netweather who now appear to have transferred their attention to this thread which should solely be about weather in Australia. These continual attempts at nitpicking are quite sad really.

Edited October 16, 2014 by knocker

[SomeLikeItHot]

No mention of this ??  on sky 

 

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/10/15/snow-flooding-and-lightning-wild-weather-sweeps-nsw

Umm yeah my post at the top of the thread did. Got buried under the climate conspiracy posts below however.

[SomeLikeItHot]

The Sydney site was opened in 1917, keith.

I don't think the carriageway is especially new either, but that aerial photograph is incredibly misleading - it doesn't show the geography of the land in proper proportion. The highway, for example, is cut below the Observatory ground hill. The area has been heavily built since the late 19th century.

 

If you go to the ACORN reference file which knocker posted a link to, there is more information there which may allay your concerns.

Carriage way is the Sydney Harbour bridge exit has been there since the Harbour bridge opened in 1932, at least. Yes it is slightly wider now and carries more traffic, but has been pretty much the same there for a good 40 years.

The site is immediately adjacent to the Sydney observatory and around this location measurements have been taken since early colonial days. ie 1788. and later more rigorously at the observatory from the 1850s. The BOM doesn't include it in climate statistics as I understand.

[Midlands Ice Age]

Carriage way is the Sydney Harbour bridge exit has been there since the Harbour bridge opened in 1932, at least. Yes it is slightly wider now and carries more traffic, but has been pretty much the same there for a good 40 years.

The site is immediately adjacent to the Sydney observatory and around this location measurements have been taken since early colonial days. ie 1788. and later more rigorously at the observatory from the 1850s. The BOM doesn't include it in climate statistics as I understand.

 

Thanks Styx and SLIH.

 

I thought it must have  been something along those lines.

I have been there to the observatory and the highway going past does maintain a huge amount of traffic not always flowing !!

The comments I made earlier stlll apply though, it would lead to increased temperatures. But if BOM ignore the readings then no problem.  Thanks

 

MIA

Edited October 16, 2014 by Midlands Ice Age

[SomeLikeItHot]

Thanks Styx and SLIH.

 

I thought it must have  been something along those lines.

I have been there to the observatory and the highway going past does maintain a huge amount of traffic not always flowing !!

The comments I made earlier stlll apply though, it would lead to increased temperatures. But if BOM ignore the readings then no problem.  Thanks

 

MIA

To be clear they Ignore it for climatatology measurements. Its still published on the BOM website as a station and is the station quoted in media stories about Sydney's temperature etc.

[NorthNSW]

Yer a pretty intense system along the NSW central/south coast from about Newcastle southwards to Narooma. Being on the northern side of the ECL up here, we didn't get any rain from it.

Impressive gust of 161km/h at Wattamolla, even if the anemometer does sit exposed at 44m ASL very near the cliffside

From what I could see there appeared to be several small-scale lows come ashore around southern Sydney embedded in the troughline associated with the ECL. 128km Sydney Radar Loop between 2pm 14/10 to 2pm 15/10: http://www.theweatherchaser.com/radar-loop/IDR713-sydney-terrey-hills/2014-10-14-03/2014-10-15-03

Never pretty when you get high intensity rain fall with very strong winds over a heavily built-up area like Sydney, impermeable surfaces galore. News videos give a decent summary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OBP8unskqY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRD6pkThu5k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paB7r8c_8H8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_8fXwjFGRk

Edited October 16, 2014 by NorthNSW

[NorthNSW]

Also, the day before (Oct 13th) a line of storms passed over areas of NSW including Sydney forming along a trough, looking quite picturesque as it passed over the city region. Looking at it you'd expect that there would have been widespread severe weather from it, but it wasn't quite as strong as its appearance would suggest, reports of severe weather were somewhat patchy.

(Video also contains a warning about the weather system to come that night in Sydney)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJyqjAJuoSo

Bondi Beach:

(Source: Higgins Storm Chasing - Facebook)

 

View towards Sydney CBD:

(Source: Severe Storms Daniel Shaw - Facebook)

 

That trough helped trigger some isolated storms the next day (Oct 14th) here in the local region, with a quick storm passing over town and hail up to around 4cm falling at Woolgoolga (a small town near Coffs Harbour).

Partially obscured gust front of storm from house:

 

Large hail at Woolgoolga:

(Source: North Coast Storm Chasers - Facebook)

 

Further north than the Blue Mountains there was also snow on some southern parts of the northern ranges overnight into the 15th.

Heavy falls on the Barrington Tops:

(Source: Hunter Valley LAC NSW Police Force - Facebook)

 

Good settling around the Hanging Rock area, east of Tamworth:

(Source: Prime7 News North West - Facebook)

[tropicbreeze]

Of course, weather in Australia isn't just Sydney or the south eastern corner of the country. Up here in the north it's not very windy, not very overcast, but a bit on the warm side. Average maximum temperature for September was 37.2C, and so far for October it's 38.4C, and no real sign of a let up anytime soon.

[Styx]

Huge buildup of heat over very large area of inland Australia, with maximum anomaly of close to +10C for successive days on end.

Weatherzone reports that this 7 day stretch of heat will come close to an October record for many long-standing weather sites in South Australia, north west Victoria, and western New South Wales.

 

 

[SomeLikeItHot]

An article on Storm Chasing in the SMH. I think the paywall only kicks in after 10 articles a month so you should be able to view it and the images.

 

Nick Moir's guide to Storm chasing in Australia

[Styx]

Heatwave to reach its crescendo today. Media haven't shown much interest in covering this event, as the major population centres on the coastal fringe have been left largely unscathed.

 

Very high forecast maximums for Sunday.

New South Wales ( north west ):   Bourke 42C. Statewide record for October: 43.9C in 1919. it just needs to exceed 42.6C somewhere to be the highest for the state since 1919.

Queensland ( south central ): Birdsville 43C. Statewide record for October 45.1 in 1995.

South Australia ( north-east ): Oodnadatta 44C. Statewide record for October 45.4 in 1995

 

A very warm month in Australia to date as well! If the tropical zone wasn't so unusually clear which is producing cool minimums up there this month, then October would probably go unchallenged as a continent heat record. It will probably go close despite the situation in the tropics.

 

   

[Styx]

No state-wide heat records today....43.3C in South Australia, 43.3C in Queensland, 42.0 in New South Wales. Small outback settlements that are pretty used to this type of heat situation but not so much in October. 

Many other stations have reported October heat records this weekend but the duration of high daily maximum and minimum temps across four states (WA was impacted first ) is a standout situation.

BOM may issue a Significant Climate Statement for this event but I don't know what their criteria is for that.

Meantime it is 13C in Hobart today with drizzle and overcast. Much more preferable.

[NUT]

Stunning show of nature (lightning) from melbourne

 

[Styx]

Confirmation this afternoon that Australia had its hottest October on record for mean maximum temperature, second highest for overall mean temperature, 0.3C behind the 1988 record.

 

 

 

The heat began in earnest in spring 2012.

Almost half of all months since then have ranked in top 5 of highest mean maximum since the national record data set began in 1910.

( 11 out of the 26 months ).

Three have topped the charts ( Jan 2013, September 2013, October 2014 ).

[Styx]

 

 

 

Fallstreak Hole: Photographers capture rare cloud formation in Victoria's east

Updated

58 minutes ago
Mon 3 Nov 2014, 8:02pm

Map: Wonthaggi 3995

 

Victorians have been treated to what appears to be a rare cloud formation known as a Fallstreak Hole.

The formation was spotted in the Gippsland area, in the state's east, about 1:00pm on Monday.

The Fallstreak Hole, or hole punch cloud, occurs when part of a cloud's water droplets freeze into ice crystals and fall below the cloud layer, according to the Cloud Appreciation Society.

ABC audience members shared their photos.

More pictures http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-03/photographers-catch-rare-fallstreak-cloud-formations-in-victoria/5863482

Edited November 3, 2014 by Styx

[knocker]

Interesting photos there Styx.

[Styx]

Interesting photos there Styx.

 

I was quite amazed.

 

--------

 

Very rare to see an expected maximum temperature of close to 40C for an Australian capital city in the first week of November but that's the story for Adelaide today - a forecast high of 39C, and 40C on the city's outskirts. 40-44C quite general in other locations in the south of the state. It has never reached 40C in Adelaide in any year before November 10th before ( 1897 ) and Sydney is the only Australian capital to ever reach 40C during the first week of November,  and only once ( 40.3C on November 6th 1946 ). So a day for weather record watchers.

 

 

Current Adelaide temperatures. Forecast maximum between 4-6am Friday GMT.

http://www.bom.gov.au/sa/observations/adelaide.shtml

Edited November 6, 2014 by Styx

[Styx]

Brisbane becomes the first Australian capital city of the warming season to have an extreme heat wave declaration. This is a significant event no matter the month, and denotes at least three consecutive days and nights of very high anomalous heat, of near historic proportions. If the current weather pattern is sustained and recent history is anything to go by it won't be the last major city to experience these extreme conditions in the months to come. As witnessed in the last 2 summers in particular.

 

The situation is positively ironic considering the G20 delegations are meeting in Brisbane this weekend, following the US-China climate announcement, to hosts that are world renowned as climate change policy recalcitrants. Australia made pre-emptive moves to block climate change discussion from the formal agenda and the big news in SE Queensland is a significant heatwave event which is threatening to overshadow this political event. Kind of embarrassing.

 

Brisbane's forecast maximum on Sunday is 40C - only reached in five Novembers since records commenced in 1887. 41.2C is the record high in 1913. Forecast maximums of 43-44C just inland from Brisbane.

 

http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/heatwave/index.shtml

Issued every day. 

[knocker]

And in Queensland of all places.

 

Approval of Australia’s largest coal mine ignores climate and water

http://theconversation.com/approval-of-australias-largest-coal-mine-ignores-climate-and-water-29780

[NorthNSW]

As Styx has said, big heat across northern NSW and southern QLD at the moment.

A conveniently-timed morning southerly change saved us from the worst of the heat today but it was still rather warm and humid, until late in the afternoon when the 'real' southerly air finally pushed through bringing low level cloudcover and cooling things down.
Today was most likely the peak of the heat for northern New South Wales. Despite widespread temps of 40ºC+ away from the coastal fringe on the eastern side of the range today in far northern NSW, no fire ban was issued because of the generally light winds.

Fire dangers are higher tomorrow in the far north of the state despite slightly lower temps because stronger wind is expected (with a fire ban issued for tomorrow).

 

East of the Great Dividing Range in Northern NSW, over 40s included:
Casino 44.1ºC
Grafton Agricultural Station 42.9ºC Very little wind when the temperature was near peaking, basically stagnant heat (this site is out of town, so urban structures aren't disrupting wind flow either) - 15/02:00pm 42.4ºC / Dewpoint 13.1ºC / 18%RH / SE 6km/h with 15km/h gusts
Grafton 42.8ºC
Evans Head 42.2ºC
Lismore 41.1ºC

 

West of the Great Dividing Range in Northern NSW, over 40s included (temps with no decimal places come from BOMs manual weather stations and are for the 6hrs to 3pm, final figure not released until late tomorrow morning):
Mungindi 45ºC
Walgett 44.6ºC
Narrabri 44.0ºC
Moree 43.5ºC
Collarenebri 43ºC

Bourke 42.9ºC (yesterday was 45.8ºC though!)
Gunnedah 42.4ºC
Tamworth 41.9ºC
Barraba 41ºC
 

On the Great Divide in Northern NSW, impressive temps (considering elevation) included:
Armidale 34.8ºC (at 1079m ASL)
Guyra 32ºC (at 1329m ASL)
Glen Innes 34.6ºC (at 1044m ASL)

 

Tomorrow could potentially be hotter than today in South Eastern QLD though. Amberley was the warmest spot on the coastal side of the range reaching 43.0ºC, followed by Gatton 42.5ºC and Beaudesert 41.3ºC. With W/NW'ly winds likely to penetrate right up to the coast tomorrow, Brisbane will certainly be warmer than today's 32.2ºC! (the city is forecast to reach 40)

Edited November 15, 2014 by NorthNSW

[Styx]

A seabreeze curtailed Brisbane's hopes of a November heat record today despite other metropolitansites no more than 2-5 miles away recording temperatures in the low 40s, nudging November record highs again, but not quite reaching the dizzy peaks of yesterday. Just before 4pm the seabreeze was driven back toward the coastline and Brisbane city had an official maximum of 38.9C - highest since 1968. This latest Australian extreme heatwave is now drawing to a close despite high temperatures persisting over central Queensland for some time to come, and we wait for the next installment, possibly as soon as the end of the month.

[Styx]

 

Thousands of bats die in Casino heatwave

NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers spraying water on the bat camp to relieve the heat stress. Photo WIRES

 

More than 2,000 flying foxes have died at Casino at the weekend from the heatwave which hit the Richmond Valley.

The 42-degree temperatures yesterday and today (Sunday) played havoc with the flying-fox camp at Casino with thousands of dead bats picked up by Richmond Valley Council officers along the riverbank and in the Hickey and Barker streets area, as well as on the roadway.

 

WIRES volunteers are also on site and are attempting to deal with the young flying foxes in the first instance.

 

Council’s general manager John Walker said the extreme heat was a tragedy for the bats.

 

Mr Walker said it was likely council crews would continue the collection of dead bats over the coming week, which may extend into private property.

 

He said there were still large numbers dead in trees, but out of the reach of council crews.

 

‘Whatever anyone’s opinion is either side of the bat debate, no one wishes this sort of tragedy on the bats,’ Mr Walker said.

It just goes to show the extent and intensity of the heatwave we had over the weekend. Bats don’t know how to deal with the heat.’

Some of the young bats rescued by volunteers. Photo WIRES

 

Mr Walker said while council officers were acting as quickly as possible to remove the dead bats, residents were advised to stay clear of the work site until all dead bats were taken away.

 

He said council crews were having difficulty accessing some areas of the riverbank and unfortunately this meant there may be an unpleasant odour for a while.

He said council’s environmental health officers would continue to monitor the site.

 

‘Some areas along the riverbank are inaccessible and the stench from the rotting carcasses will be quite unbearable for some time yet,’ Mr Walker said.

 

Mr Walker said people should avoid the area and not try to help living bats themselves as they could bite and scratch and some carry the lyssavirus.

He said parents and teachers needed to be especially vigilant to ensure children remained safe.

‘Young children could be attracted to the bats on the ground but there could be serious health risks if they pick them up,’ Mr Walker said.

http://www.echo.net.au/2014/11/thousands-bats-die-heatwave-wreaks-havoc-colony-casino/

 

District in the state of New South Wales near the Queensland border and slightly inland. Casino had one of the most significant heat records in the state on the weekend with a peak of 44.1C on Saturday. This is 16C above average for November and not only broke the spring temperature record, but also the annual record as well. It was followed by 40C on Sunday, and preceded by 36.5C on Friday. So big heat.

 

Bat mortality due to heat stress appears to happen occasionally and we are certainly hearing increasing news of it, but in springtime, this is new news to me. It is breeding and birthing season for them and it's likely the mothers and the litters have a high risk of vulnerability when the weather does funny things at this time of year . The grey-headed flying fox also happens to be on the IUCN list as a vulnerable species due to environmental pressures, so mass heatwave deaths adds to the perceived problem of population decline.  

Edited November 17, 2014 by Styx

[knocker]

Not good news Styx, A couple of articles.

 

Bats dropping from trees as record heat wave grips Australia

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/01/09/bats_dropping_from_trees_as_record_heat_wave_grips_australia.html

 

Rescuers battle to save heat-stressed flying foxes

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/rescuers-battle-to-save-heatstressed-flying-foxes-20140115-30v17.html

[SAB]

No heat whatsoever in Melbourne. So far, 11 of the last 18 days were UNDER 20C at the Olympic Park station, and the forecast for the weekend will likely see more. While the average highs may seem to around normal, keep in mind that it's skewed by a couple of hot days (35C and 32C - both isolated one-hit wonders). We only had 5 days over 25C.  Not to mention there have been A LOT of overcast mizzly mornings, this week especially. Getting sick of this cold November.

 

Ofcourse, the endless southerlies return from next week onwards for more cloudy 20C or less days   

Edited November 19, 2014 by SAB

[Styx]

Army to be deployed into Brisbane to deal with Thursday afternoon storm damage, declared worst since 1985

 

Edited November 27, 2014 by Styx