Styx

Up until yesterday the Australian Bureau of Meteorology was giving TC over the next few days in this area a 20% chance of forming, funny how things can change so quick. I think this is the first one in Australian waters this season? Late developments this season.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Emergency_Warning_SignalThis advertisement is being aired regularly on radio and television, in the leadup to the bushfire/cyclone season ( Wav needed to listen ) http://www.bom.gov.au/inside/services_policy/disaster_mitigation/projects/sews-30s%5B1%5D.wav

I was very surprised to read that the highest temperature recorded in New Zealand was a whooping 42.4C. That is higher than the Tasmanian extreme, yet we had air of desert origion responsible for it.

I live in temperate Tasmania..so summers are bearable here...a couple of days in the mid 30s, and thats our lot. Which is fine by me!

6.0 dead even but it could be a few degrees either way.

Very dry in Victoria and Tasmania of late, fire dangers would be a concern on the 5th. The heat is building up in the west. Perth is expecting 4 consecutive days of 40+ degrees starting today, with a potential 7 consecutive days of 38+, making it the longest stretch of 38+ on record there.

That does make sense to me, for in the old days it would have been inconvenient to have weather observers across the country re-setting their thermometres at midnight, every night. Now there is no need for that with electronic feedback, but the 9am rule does make statistics comparable with older data. No hot Christmas roast with english pud then?

Christmas day forecast...4 days out Perth...sunny 39 ( +12 ) Brisbane... shower 32 ( +3 ) Sydney...shower 27 ( +2 ) Adelaide... sunny 26 ( - ) Canberra...shower 24 ( -2 ) Melbourne...shower 22 ( -2 ) Hobart...shower 18 ( -2 )

^ A great read. How long are you there for? Shirakawa village looks preety special. Some of the snow scenes in your area, ( had a google image search ), look absolutley phenomenal..other worldly...the forest snowmonsters!

So how warm did it get? I hope you are able to keep this thread going, with weather stories and NZ weather stats of interest, etc.

Official ( BOM ) Christmas day forecast for the capitals ...6 days out so subject to change! Brackets indicate variation from December average ( 1981-2010 ) Perth and Darwin unavailble Brisbane... sunny 33 ( +4 ) Adelaide... sunny 26 ( - ) Canberra...shower 26 ( - ) Sydney...shower 25 ( - ) Melbourne...showers 20 ( -4 ) Hobart...shower 21 ( +1 ) ( I was hoping for a cold Christmas in Hobart with mountain snow; still hoping! )

Thanks for the correcetion, my error! Everthing else is good. There is often an inverse relationship between temperature extremes in Perth and Hobart. I think the 1999 synoptic chart is a good example, but in relation to Christmas 1945, I would hazard a guess that the High in the west would be much further south, allowing it to direct a deeper pulse of cold air over SW Western Australia. Interestingly, 1972 was a special Christmas in Hobart. I remember reading an old newspaper article about it in the library archives. Heavy snow descended to the foothills around Hobart, as the temperature dropped to 4.1 degrees Christmas Eve night, with 30mm of rain in the city. Many elevated roads were blocked by snow the next day. This incidentally was the Christmas that Brisbane had its record high temperature for the date. Would love to see the synoptics for that day, all accounts it was an historic event!

Got the following information from this site http://webdev.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/~blair/extremes/extpage.html and for data after 1998, consulted the weather bureau's website. Coldest Christmas Days ( Highest temperature 9am Christmas day-9am Boxing day ) Brisbane 23.8 ( 1909 ) Perth 19.6 ( 1945 ) Adelaide 17.4 ( 1922 ) Sydney 16.7 ( 1926 ) Canberra 14.5 ( 1957 ) Melbourne 14.5 ( 2006 ) Hobart 12.6 ( 1984 ) Hottest Christmas Days Adelaide 42.1 ( 1888 ) Melbourne 40.7 ( 1907 ) Perth 40.4 ( 1968 ) Brisbane 39.2 ( 1972 ) Sydney 38.6 ( 1896 ) Canberra 37.1 ( 1957 ) Hobart 34.3 ( 1945 )

Welcome to Australia. Hope everything works out well for you! Better get used this heat, it only gets hotter from here on in! But perhaps never like Jan-Feb 2009! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_2009_southeastern_Australia_heat_wave

Spring 2012 ( Sep-Nov ) Temperature Rainfall

15 maximum for Hobart on Tuesday and Wednesday, with mountain snowfalls to 800 metres. That is as refreshing as a cold beer after a hard day after 2 consecutive 30+ days here..beautiful!

HOBART is Tasmania's capital city, situated at sealevel on an estuary, and backed by a 1270m/4200ft mountain range. November - Last month of Spring Tornados with localised intense hailstorms broke out on a multi cell storm line on the 9th, in an epically rare event unprecedented in scope ( the first tornado observation since 1972 in Hobart; and as three F1 tornados touched down close to residential areas, the weather bureau issued its first ever tornado warning for south east Tasmania ). TV news report here! http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-09/tornado-warning-for-southern-tas/4362868/?site=hobart As if "Tornado Friday" had sucked out the energy out of the atmosphere for the remainder of the month, a prolonged un-springlike dry spell ensued for the remainder of November, as weak high pressure centres moved west to east over the southern mainland, before high pressure consolidated to Tasmania's east at months end, directing a warm to hot airflow of desert origion over the island. For the 13th month in a row, the average monthly temperature exceeded the 1981-2010 average. Average maximum: 20.4 ( +1.5 ) Average minimum: 10.4 ( +0.5 ) Rainfall: 25mm ( Average 53mm ) Extremes in daily November temperature: Highest maximum: 33.7 ( Record 36.8 in 1937 ) Lowest maximum: 13.9 ( Record 8.3 in 1913 ) Highest minimum: 18.8 ( Record 19.2 in 2003 ) Lowest minimum: 4.1 ( Record 0.3 in 1913 )

I actually like the 23 hour Hobart to London trip and the brief airport stops along the way ( Melbourne, Singapore, UAE )...adds to the journey's excitement, sense of real globetrotting.

Jan/Feb average is 17-32 in Mildura...I think if you have coped well with the humidity in Cairns, you'll eventually adjust to the dry heat of Mildura ! I think too you will find that picking starts at dawn, and you'll end up finishing before the hottest part of the day. Make sure your accomodation has AC!

Victoria has just recorded its highest November temperature on record, 45.4 degrees at the NW town of Mildura. Previous record 44.5 in 1980. Moments ago it was 38.9 in the state capital, Melbourne ( 16 above average ). 41.2 is the official November record for Melbourne. http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/state-swelters-but-relief-is-in-sight-20121129-2ahxd.html Cooler in Tasmania, but it is 30 degrees this afternoon, making it the first 30+ of the season here ( 11 above average ).

Pot shot at 4.0

Geoscience Australia has compiled a map showing earthquake prone areas in Australia. It is fairly elementary. http://www.ga.gov.au/darwin-view/hazards.xhtml Australia's deadliest earthquake, magnitude 5.6, struck Newcastle, New South Wales in 1989, killing 13 and injuring 160 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Newcastle_earthquake

Nice to see you back NorthNSW..I just knew those big storms you've been having up there of late wouldn't keep you away for long! That waterspout in Batemans Bay is amazing.

-44C...they must dress snug, guess not much choice in the matter. Making the most of it in Yakutsk

Video links on this page: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-18/south-east-qld-warned-of-more-storms-to-come/4377954 Brisbane airport Westside markets, Brisbane