Styx

I thought the conflict between the two was an act, and Tommy Boyd was sacked because Ash put thru a call from a listener who wished harm upon the Queen, a breach of protocol. I thought the Zoo was great, everyone let loose, terrific idea on the night before most started work the next day, I was truly hooked And Whale with this paranormal segments, top class radio!!

Devastating that James Whale was sacked, and Tommy Boyd before that. I loved listening to those guys. Sorry to digress..continue on

The new radar is a bit of a treat! The old one never picked up incoming storms or heavy rain because of the mountain shadow. I think the new radar though has over excited the guys at the bureau; severe thunderstorms are very rare here at anytime of the year,let alone in September! I have no idea what they were observing, there was no intense short duration rainfall at any location yesterday. I thought it was amusing that they headlined the warning with " there are no longer severe thunderstorms occuring in Tasmania/Antarctica". There was a political kerfuffle a few years ago when the bureaus observations and forecasts for Tasmania and Antarctica were cojoined together under a soleTasmania/Antarctica weblink. Some politicians thought it would prevent tourists from coming to Tasmania, due to the perception it was closer to Antarctica than it really is, so the 2 regions were divided. They need to change that graphical severe storm warning map! P.S By the way, what is the record longest dry spell where you are? Getting close? I love observing the birds and the frogs and the like react after the first rains in a long time, a bit of a party time for them ***

Good question and I quite agree, not enough information on weather in Africa but there is plenty of stuff that a search will find on climate, start there and you'll find the variabilities between the south and the north are huge, its a massive continent afterall that extends from winter in the south and summer in the north at the same time, and a tropical belt with little change thru the year . South Africa will have winter cold fronts and elevated snowfalls. Here are extended outlook synoptic charts for Africa. Note south of the equator winds flow around the weather systems reverse to the north. Keep in mind the latitude of South Africa, a southerly wind from a deep origin in winter/spring means it will be cold. http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=en&MENU=0000000000&CONT=afri&MODELL=gfs&MODELLTYP=1&BASE=-&VAR=pslv&HH=24&ARCHIV=0&PANEL=0&ZOOM=0&PERIOD= I too am no expert, but hope this helps. Maybe others here will have better ideas and links to good sites

Just a bit boistorous down here thats for sure! Hobart city clocked 107km/hr ( 66mi/hr ) on the weekend - a 13 month high - and Mount Wellington summit blew in at 156km/hr ( 97mi/hr ). The equinox gales, so many people find a reason to complain but got to say I don't mind the mayhem and the untideness of it at all. Records were well tied down though: Hobart has had 150km/hr ( 93mi/hr ) before, and Mount Wellington summit is the Tasmanian record holder, 200km/hr ( 124mi/hr ). The highest wind gust I have lived thru since teen years in Hobart is 139km/hr, in August 1991. Gazing mesmerised out the window, my eyeline was in sight of a massive gumtree in our neighbours backyard. Without any sign that it was about to be pulled down by the wind, I then witnessed the rarest events of seeing it uprooted before my very eyes, the sound of the trunk fibre splitting into chips within seconds and even the sound of the 100 year old roots being pulled from the earth, then down she came like a thunder crack. Quite an awesome experience. Ready..aim..fire! Hobart at the base of Mt Wellington ( 1270m/4200ft ), viewed from a 19th century fort on eastside of river.

Worked it out. Roaring 40's in full flight over Southern Australia Minor damage across a large area of Victoria and New South Wales with localised wind gusts of 100-140km/hr ( 65-90mi/hr ), with minor scrub fires here and there. A fatality in Victoria, where a man drove his vehicle straight into a tree that had fallen across the road.

I had forgotten all about streetview! How do you put a link to the area you want to show? We hereby appoint you our Victorian state correspondent. Melbourne is a nice city, all the suburbs have their own unique character. I travel there via the 12 hour ferry from Tasmania a few times a year. If you can tolerate the summer heat and the flies, you'll be fine! Make sure you take the ferry to Tasmania sometime - I think you'll find it will be worth it!

I hope most of that area in which you live NorthNSW is protected from major development, it looks absolutley beautiful there. Re the last storm in Hobart, it would have had to be in early March I would think, and no later. Very rare to get a thunderstorm in Hobart between April and October.

You going to find out what it is for real, Kain? I really want to know!

Hobart is Tasmania's capital city, situated at sealevel and backed by a 1270m/4200ft mountain range. Climate is temperate with a maritime influence. August - Last month of winter After a quiet June and July dominated by high pressure ridging, August brought a shift to a more usual westerly wind regime with the passage of more regular cold fronts, but without the wintry intensity often observed at the backend of winter. The most significant front however gave a light covering of snow to Hobart's hillier suburbs ( 200m/650ft ), an event which will only happen once or twice a year. Very quickly afterwards a very mild spell developed, which produced the earliest 20C+ this side of the year in 27 years, and a rare complete snowmelt all the way to the top of Hobart's 1270m mountain summit. The monthly average temperature almost equalled the 1981-2010 average, these are the warmest decades on record in the capital. Average maximum: 13.8 ( +0.1 ) Average minimum: 5.7 ( -- ) Rainfall: 58mm ( Average 54mm ) Daily temperature extremes this August Highest maximum: 20.3 ( Record 24.5 in 1977 ) Lowest maximum: 9.0 ( Record 5.5 in 1974 ) Highest minimum: 10.6 ( Record 15.0 in 2005 ) Lowest minimum: 1.9 ( Record -1.8 in 1962 ) Winter is over Average temperature +0.1 above 1981-2010 average. Rainfall 100mm ( Average 160mm ). Lack of mountain snow and windy weather quite pronounced.

Many alpine peaks are snow free for the very first time, at least up until a few days ago. Probably deserves a thread on its own but if I may I'll put it here:

Record low September temperature in Canberra -6.8C this morning, eclipsing the previous record for September by 0.4 degrees, set on the 10th in 1982. Records from said site began in 1939. It followed a cold afternoon yesterday with snow showers across the Canberra region. ( Cheers for storm answer NthNSW, always interesting )

Hey NorthNSW, how did the storm season fare for you during the height of El Nino? And do afternoon seabreeses influence the development of storm cells, much there? Here's some shocking news for you: I have never witnessed hail fall during a thunderstorm in Hobart! Sometimes a big light and sound show, but no hail.

The state government of Victoria, Australia has announced it is funding research into the many sightings of the animal in that state. I've seen one for myself in Wales, exactly like the one in the pic: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/hunt-for-big-cats-including-cougars-panthers-or-pumas-in-victoria-begins-after-decades-of-reported-sightings/story-e6frf7kx-1226455280709

From storms to snow! Low level snow in Tasmania, first for the year Snow settled to the 200m/ 650ft level early Sunday, giving a light cover of snow to the hillier suburbs of Hobart. Snow at this level will usually occur once every 2 or 3 years - the last occasion was July 2009. Around 20cm ( two thirds of a foot ) settled on the mountain range behind the city. Temperatures however recovered from a low of 1.9 in the city ( 4 below average ), to a maximum of 11 during the day ( 3 below).

If you take the specimen to your local uni geology department they will tell you what it is for sure

15.6 for me

20C in Hobart yesterday ( 6 above August average ), the first 20+ this side of the winter, and the earliest 20+ since 1985. Date of the first 20+ this side of the year Earliest... 2nd July 1985 Latest...9th November 1956 2000...13th September 2001...19th September 2002...14th September 2003...4th September 2004...26th August 2005...28th August 2006...31st August 2007...27th August 2008...11th September 2009...15th September 2010...3rd October 2011...24th August

Tropical fish turning up in the temperate waters of Tasmania, as climate change alters Australia's east coast current Television news report here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-17/climate-change-sees-tropical-fish-head-south/4203830 ...and a written summary here: http://theconversation.edu.au/its-getting-hot-in-here-tasmanian-ocean-warms-to-detriment-of-species-1238

Looks like amber to me

Defiently been an improvement this month compared to June and July in terms of lying snow in the highlands. Still, the snowline is no where as low as it should be, currently around 1200m/4000ft. The mainland states of Victoria and New South Wales fairing much better , but at a higher elevation.

Did you report it?

Has New Zealand not had some brilliant snow seasons in recent years, with some of the most powerful cold outbreaks? It has been such a long time since Tasmania has ground to a halt in a whiteout. Having said that, Tassie's small snowfields don't attract many interstate visitors, they are more a recreational playground for the locals. I'm still hopeful for a change in the weather here, this predominantally settled spell has got to end soon!

July - Rainfall July - Temperature -0.45 cooler than the 1961-90 average, close to the June figure. -17% rainfall deficiency, compared to close to average in June.