Styx

The Herald Sun is the Australian version of the UK's Daily Mail, sensationalist and often misrepresentative. I was going to post something on Netweather about the latest brief cold snap which particually affected Tasmania, but didn't bother because it was nothing out of the ordinary for this time of the year. I have a weather memory strectching back to the 80s and when I feel a weather obsessive mood coming on I head down to the library and go thru the newspaper archives, searching for local weather stories of note. This was a piddly affair not worthy of a newspaper article - even in recent years there have been more intense cold changes in April than this one. In the next few days another very warm spell will be upon us ( but this particular newspaper will not report it with much energy, as it usually steers away from climate 'warming stories' ). As the 3rd final line in the newspaper quote says: "We usually get some colder outbreaks about this time of year," said a spokesperson from the Bureau of Meteorology.

Great, thanks - that's even better. No offence to the Isle Of Wight either great place spent 2 weeks camping there a few years ago.

Really good effort, but there are at least 6 members living abroad. Possible somehow to add next time, you could plonk us all on the Isle Of Wight, perhaps.

HOBART is the capital city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia's southernmost city. It is situated on an estuary 2 miles from the ocean and is backed by a 4200 ft mountain range. Check out the live webcam link below! March - First month of autumn An Antarctic cold front bought unseasonable cold and the first mountain snow for the year on the 23rd. A sensational temperature of 5.9 degrees was recorded in the early afternoon as a shower crossed the city. Phenomenal 3 weeks out from summer! Despite this cold snap, the average monthly temperature was still above the 1981-2010 average - these decades are the warmest on record in Hobart. Average maximum: 20.7 ( +0.4 ) Average minimum: 12.0 ( + 0.6 ) Rainfall: 31mm ( Average 47mm ) Extremes Highest maximum: 27.6 ( Record 37.3 in 2008 ) Lowest maximum: 12.4 ( Record 8.9 in 1925 ) Highest minimum: 18.3 ( Record 21.1 in 1906 ) Lowest minimum: 5.5 ( Record 1.8 in 1926 )

Just a note on the Tasmanian cold snap on Friday March 23. It is well worth mentioning this! At 1:30pm in Hobart (sealevel) the temperature fell to 5.9C, a stunningly low figure more in tune with mid winter than the first few weeks of autumn. I have not known it to be so cold during the day so early in the year. The maximum managed to reach 12.5C. There was light snow cover in the highlands, but more extensive cover further inland ( 3 to 4 inches ). Some highland roads were only passable via 4WD vehicles. Back to average values now, with high pressure centred at this latitude.

10.1 thanks Spring starts seem always warmer than what they should be

The first cold outbreak for the autumn is shortly due to sweep across Tasmania. On Friday, snow is expected to descend to the 700 metre level ( 2300 feet ), with coastal and land gales. The cold pool of air is originating from waters well to the south of Tasmania, and eventhough the timing is not especially unusual for this time of the year it will freshen things up nicely. Hobart's maximum will be 14 degrees ( 6 below average for March ) On Saturday morning Hobart's Mt Wellington ( see signature webcam link below ) should look grand with a nice snowcap. There might even be enough snow to ski at at southern Tasmania's premier ( cough ) snowfield ( 4200 feet ) ! ( at least for a day before it melts away ) http://www.stsa.webb...au/snowcam.html

It was the most intense cyclone to cross the Australian coast since Yasi but the damage to property was apparently minimal, largely due to the fact hardly anyone lives up there. A roadhouse, some farmsheds, some tanks and some windmills were the only prominent casualties. The area is composed of a lot of cattle ranches though, but even the cattle were spared. This is quite amazing to me I wonder whether there are purposelly built cyclone proof shelters for cattle?

Summer In Australia 2011-12 season Maximum temperatures Australia as a whole: -0.55 degrees cooler than average ( 1961-90 ), making it the 11th coolest year in 62 years. State variations were New South Wales -1.71 degrees below ( 2nd coolest on record ) to Tasmania +1.04 above ( 3rd warmest ). Minimum temperatures Australia as a whole: -0.32 degrees cooler than average, making it the 15th coolest year in 62 years of records. State variations were Queensland -0.78 degrees below ( 8th coolest on record ) to Tasmania +1.04 above ( 4th warmest ). Rainfall Australia as a whole: 16% above average making it the 22nd wettest summer season in 112 years. With the exception of some parts of the tropical north and the far SE corner, most of the country was above average. State variations were New South Wales +53% above average and Tasmania -26% below. More information with colour coded anomoly maps here: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/season/aus/summary.shtml

Same thing in the sky above Tasmania 6000 miles south on the same weekend? Not possible, say astromeners! http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/03/05/306411_tasmania-news.html

Hobart is Australia's furthest city to the south ( 43 degrees latitude ). It is situated at sealevel on an estuary close to the ocean, and is backed by a 4200 ft mountain range. Climate is temperate. February 2012 A significant heatwave in the final weekend: The highest February daily minimum for 100 years and the 3rd highest daily minimum for any month , the first time to have 2 daily minimums in a row above 22C, and only the 3rd instance to have 2 days in a row exceeding 36C. Unprecedented heat so late in the season. Average maximum: 22.5 ( +0.7 ) Average minimum: 13.3 ( +1.1 ) Rainfall: 23mm ( Average 40mm ) Highest maximum: 38.8 ( Record 40.1 in 1899 ) Lowest maximum: 15.9 ( Record 9.6 in 1964 ) Highest minimum: 23.4 ( Record 24.7 in 1912 ) Lowest minimum: 8.6 ( Record 3.4 in 1980 )

I see a slight flaw in the competition, for someone each month can make their monthly CET prediction just a few tenths of a degree above the long term average, and whilst some months might be quite some way out, by the 12th month they will be very close to the yearly average. Or have I got it wrong in how it is calculated.

Pin the tail on the donkey 6.1

Ha..yea almost ! I really hate the heat so I'm prone to shrivel very easily. Defiently unusual prolonged heat at this latitude, and almost unprecendented. I think 2 consecutive daily minimums above 22 is unprecedented in Hobart, which is what we got on the weekend.

I noticed this too, a 31 degree variation within the space of a few hours is the steepest rise I have ever seen in Tasmania. In Hobart it reached 38.8 on Saturday and 36.7 on Sunday - the hottest 2 consecutive days for 30 years. The record for the highest February daily minimum temperature appears to have fallen this morning - no lower than 23 ( 11 above average ) in the 24 hour period to 9am Monday ( local time ). As of 9:45am Monday ( 10:45pm GMT Sunday ) there is a lot of smoke around Hobart - the image can be seen below via the link in my signature. It is associated with a large bushfire to the north of the city, but no property has been destroyed. It was apparently started by a guy taking his car for a joyride on a bush track, and somehow sparks from the exhaust ignited some long grass on the side of the road.

Intense heat forecast for Tasmania this weekend: 38 Saturday and 35 Sunday. Hobart's highest February temperature is 40.1 in 1899. If the forecast temperatures are acheived it will be the first time since 1982 to have 2 successive days above 35. A total fire ban today with a fire index rating of 'severe'. Updated current temperatures and live webcam image below. ( Time +11 hours from GMT ).

Surely not. It's almost certainly a perception based on artificial light sources. Must admit though I was surprised to see real twilight whilst pitching my tent at Camber Sands in early July one year, at around 315am .

I was camping at Bognor Regis on the south coast, I spent most of the day listening to BBC Radio 5 Live to see if the temperature record was going to be beat, and so it was. It was a lazy summer day sitting under a willow tree reading with a beer or two for me - I think a million or so people were beaching themself at the seaside.

I remember a similar early winter shock for Scotland in 1998, but in mid to late September. I recall the TV news pictures of quite a bit of snow disruption. ( I had not too long arrived in England )

I can't watch the video clip from this computer, but if most of you saying its a fish and a bear I'll go along with that. Siberia may be large but so too was the wooly mammoth, its not as if the beasts can hide out from humans in the undergrowth, they also were supposedly herd animals aswell

They use a substance called silver iodide to seed clouds to make it rain in Tasmania's west, to fill the hydro electric dams, which we wholly rely upon for our electricity supply in Tas. Unfortuently there are constant stuff ups, with torrential rain falling in places that rely on tourism for income stream, and convincing evidence that the midlands district is becoming drier as a result of this fiddling around with nature in the west. The midlands is largely agricultural. Just one example of how manipulating nature can have domino effects, cut one interconnection and there are reprucusions. It is so arrogant that we feel we can play around with such powerful natural forces.

Oh..I was hoping for second successive win! But close enough to be happy with the overall result!

I was in Salisbury at the time, it was absolutley brilliant despite the overcast weather.

Major flooding in southern Queensland escalates, with the 'largest evacuation order' ever given by authorities, causing the evacuation of 2000 people at the town of St George ( 240 miles west of Brisbane ). Flooding forecast to reach its peak Wednesday morning GMT http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-06/evacuation-completed-as-floodwaters-swamp-st-george/3812732

This was the first time that an impending natural disaster was covered live on national television throughout Australia. It was strange to be 1500 miles away and to watch events unfold so forensically. Every commercial network ( 3 channels ) and the ABC were broadcasting live in the hours before and after it hit land, with reporters based in towns close to where the eye of the cyclone crossed. It was seriously overdone, eventhough it was a monster