Styx

Ambling along Swansea bay when the tide is out. Miles and miles of sand, and beautiful views and already mentioned Camber sands. St Ives beach, all the bright contrasting colours there. Bude beach, Devon for its isolation and surfy cultural feel.

Apparently will be the latest severe tropical cyclone to cross the Queensland coast in 43 years. By 'severe' , I assume that means TC intensity 2 or above.

Terrific wind speeds recorded across southern Tasmania over the weekend - at the upper scale of what you would expect only once or twice a year and almost exclusively confined to the weeks around the spring equinox - as a very intense low prressure system (948hpa/mb !) tracked east well south of Tasmania ( at about 52 degrees latitude - Tasmania's south about 40 degrees ), and an associated cold front approached Tasmania's west coast. http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4521/maatsuykerisland.jpg Maatsuyker Island - 5km/3miles off Tasmania's south coast: 156kmhr/98mhr http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/7506/hobartfrommtwellington.jpg Mt Wellington summit - 1270m - Hobart - 132kmhr/82mhr http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/4451/wild2n.jpg ...and Hobart ( sealevel ) 96kmhr/60mhr. Hope the guy has insurance These wind speeds fall short of annual records. Windiest April event since 2008. But it was windy enough to bring down powerlines and trees, and for grassfires to threaten homes ( possibly one of the latest fire threats so far out from summer )

Yep, that was snow - but it certainly didn't last for very long! Perhaps patches remain in sheltered spots and some of the gullys. According to the AWS on the summit there was just over 30mm of snow melt. The moist onshore SE'lies usually produce wet snow at elevation and a low cloud base which annoyingly hides whats going on up there - but from what I saw on this side of the river, and a photograph in the paper, I don't imagine there was more than 10cm on the ground. Not unusual for this time of the year. Hoping for colder weather obviously and more regular frontal passages with snow to start building up a bit of a snow base up there...been some dreadful years... hoping 2013 is something more traditional.

First cold outbreak for southern Australia for the season today. Snow in the forecast to 800m for Tasmania, and 1400m for Victoria. At 2pm it is a chilly 8.7C in Hobart having peaked at 13.1C this morning ( 5 below ). 17C in Melbourne. Showers are quite light so any snow that settles will be quite isolated...but still...love this weather

http://www.guardian....sions-australiaHow climate change is affecting Australia, especially in reference to unprecedented weather events in recent years http://climatecommission.gov.au/ With a federal election to be held in Australia in September, and the Conservatives tipped to win, the Commission has been slated for abolition by the Opposition, together with a number of environmental programs, including the market based carbon price. Australia's Opposition leader has described climate change science as "crap"

HOBART ( pop 210,000 ) is Tasmania's capital city, situated at sealevel and backed by a 1270m mountain range. March - First month of autumn This was easily Hobarts warmest March since records began in 1882, on the back of the hottest summer on record. The 1990 record was smashed by 0.8C, with an average maximum the third highest on record and the average minimum tieing for highest place. Near record temperatures were set for daily maximum and daily minimum after a prolonged period of above average temperatures during the first half of the month. From mid March, a more mobile weather pattern developed with fronts and low pressure moving in from the west. This made this month the wettest since September, after a string of very dry months. At the the end of the month, an intense high pressure system was moving in from the west, assuring another lengthy period of settled weather with a proggressively increasing temperature trend, an unusual repititive setup, now in play for several months. This was the 17th consecutive month with above average temperature ( 1981-2010 comparison ), this month having the greatest anomoly of the 17. Average maximum: 22.9 ( +2.5 ) Average minimum: 13.5 ( +2.2 ) Rainfall: 49mm ( average 45mm ) Daily temperature extremes for March ( Records since 1882 ) Highest maximum: 36.6 ( Record 37.3 in 2008 ) Lowest maximum: 16.2 ( Record 8.9 in 1925 ) Highest minimum: 20.5 ( Record 21.1 in 1906 ) Lowest minimum: 8.4 ( Record 1.8 in 1926 )

Hey Matt...hope you manage to fit in a few days in Tasmania - the 'natural isle'. Then again, 3 weeks all together may make that a bit tough!

Closing in on the hottest March on record for Australia - this on the heels of the hottest summer. Intriguing to see negative anomolies of similar magnitude in Europe at the moment! Yesterday, bushfires destroyed up to a dozen homes in Western Victoria and injured 4 firefighters- temperatures in the mid 30 degrees, and winds gusting to 100kmhr/62mihr. In Tasmania, temperatures reached the low 30s with similar peak wind gusts, and in South Australia, the high 30s a day before that. This is extremely unseasonable but a cool down is now underway. We may have seen the last of the heat until the spring. Bring on the snow!

http://www.abc.net.a...n-towns/4587648

Hey NorthNSW how are you. Do communities along the northern New South Wales coastline have a cyclone plan, in case of the rare event of a cyclone crossing the coast below the Queensland border? Such as advice and information...education campaigns...designated community shelters...etc. Or is the happenstance just too rare for all that? Do you also know of the strongest recorded wind speeds for Coffs Harbour or nearby locations due to a cyclone or extropical cyclone? Used to be beautiful parklands in the 90s before the area became so corportised with elite sporting facilities! But I was at the grand prix in 2004 and have to admit its an exciting spectacle

Many locations in South Australia, Victoria and northern Tasmania currently have a maximum anomoly for March in the order of 7-10C + ( March 1-13 ). Hottest March on record after the hottest summer on record is now more than probable for these states.

Make sure this thread is pinned, it otherwise gets lost and there is no point in that

A near historic heatwave for autumn is unfolding in southern and south east Australia. By the time we reach mid March, Hobart Adelaide and Melbourne will have a March average maximum 5-7 degrees above the monthly norm. This follows on from the hottest summer on record for the country as a whole. The long term average temperature for these cities for March is: Hobart 20, Adelaide 26, Melbourne 24. ----------------- The summer season was tumultorous in terms of human impact. 5 people lost their lives in bushfires ( in Victoria and Western Australia ). 10 people lost their lives in floods ( in Queensland and New South Wales ). About 400 homes were destroyed ( 250 in bushfires, mostly in Tasmania ), and another 150 were flood detroyed ( mostly in Queensland ).

It'll be me, unless someone on here decides to call Antarctica home for a while

Quite a media hoo ha about Rusty based on Oswalds ability to never say die, but out he goes without much fuss... A bit of talk about probable activity in the Coral sea over the coming few weeks, heard via a Met guy on the radio this morning. Very much not what Queensland could do with re recent flooding in that state.

HOBART is Tasmania's capital, situated at sealevel at the base of Mt. Wellington ( 1270m/4200ft ). February - End of summer High pressure continued to be the focal point of influence - this month its centre slumbering to the south east of the island, as low pressure over the continent edged southward. The Highs positioning here offered occasional cool days ( under 20C ) with low cloud during onshore easterly winds off the cool Tasman sea, but this was more than countered by warm to very warm days ( mid to high 20s ) as north to north easterlies were directed downward over the upper flank of the high. Rain events were few and far between - with low pressure troughs weakening on their southward projection, offering only temporary inclemency. A more humid weather condition developed toward the end of the month as moisture levels increased over eastern and southern mainland. This was the 16th consecutive month with an above average monthly temperature and summer was confirmed as the hottest on record for Hobart in terms of average daily maximum - beating the previous record set in 1899/00 and 2000/01 by 0.1 of a degree. For Australia as a whole, it was also the hottest summer on record. Average maximum: 23.5 ( +1.4 ) Average minimum: 13.8 ( +1.2 ) Rainfall: 23mm ( average 40mm ) Extremes in daily temperature for February ( Records since 1882 ) Highest maximum: 35.7 ( Record 40.1 in 1899 ) Lowest maximum: 15.5 ( Record 9.6 in 1964 ) Highest minimum: 18.6 ( Record 24.7 in 1912 ) Lowest minimum: 6.8 ( Record 3.4 in 1980 )

Australia has recorded its hottest summer on record, and the driest for 9 years. http://theconversati...e-hottest-12505More tables etc : http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/season/aus/summary.shtml

..and probably much milder than normal. Southern Russia defiently is. Moscow most likely is. Record snowfall at these latitudes has nothing to do with it being extremely cold ( as you well know! ) Nice try.

HOBART ( pop 200,000 ) is Tasmania's capital city, situated at sealevel, at the base of Mt. Wellington ( 1270m/4200ft ). January - Mid summer Superheated air over inland Australia came forth at the beginning of the month on a strong northerly airstream, bringing Hobart its highest temperature that has ever been recorded, and precipitating the most destructive bushfires Tasmania has seen since 'Black Tuesday', 1967. Follow-up days were warm - sunshine weakened by extensive smoke haze - before a progressively cooler temperature trend developed as winds of a more regional nature became established. The synoptic theme emulated the last 3 and a half months with a belt of high pressure systems with their central ridging chiefly at Tasmanian latitudes, weakening cold fronts on their approach to Tasmania. This resulted in this being the 4th month in a row with a rainfall deficet of more than 50% - with this month being the driest of the four. It was the 15th consecutive month with an average temperature that exceeded the 1981-2010 average. Average maximum: 23.9 ( +1.7 ) Average minimum: 13.1 ( +0.5 ) Rainfall: 11mm ( Average 47mm ) Extremes in daily temperature for January ( Records since 1882 ): Highest maximum: 41.8 ( Previous record 40.8 in 1976 ) Lowest maximum: 18.1 ( Record 11.1 in 1885 ) Highest minimum: 23.4 ( Previous record 22.9 in 1887 ) Lowest minimum: 8.9 ( Previous record 3.3 in 1902 )

Officially the warmest month on record for the country as a whole. http://www.bom.gov.a...s/summary.shtml

The maps were released during the afternoon of the 31st, so they are the official ones for the month. The temperature maps for January should be released this afternoon. Looking forward to seeing those. I hope you enjoy Melbourne - great place, more especially the inner suburbs with their unique character.

^ Now that is how you make a dramatic weather video..was almost awaiting the alien invasion. Absolutley brilliant, love it.

January rainfall 2013 Ex-TC Oswald took care of the rainfall defiency on the eastern seaboard which up until that time had been almost as dry as the south east.

It is interesting to see the main commerical TV networks in Australia go to live uninterrupted coverage for hours on end over recent days. Much normal programming has been suspended. With programming centralised from Sydney or Melbourne these days...this blanket coverage is nationwide - except in the west. Feels odd watching weather drama unfold hundreds of miles away in an Australian emergency context from quiet little Tasmania ( early January bushfires aside ). Not sure why this is being done. Began in earnest only in 2011 ( Cyclone Yasi + Qld floods ). Possibly to recapture an audience that has left for social media outlets? Overdramatisation for ratings during the off peak summer season? Or genuine emergency broadcasting strategy with government, to create the urgency for pre-emptive action? ( a good idea ).