Topic: Frosts and cold mornings 2008

[Jimmy Deguara]

Just as a separate topic, this topic will encourage the more significant mornings in 2008 when frosts occur given it is a short period of time when such frosts occur.

This morning, the temperature dropped on of the coldest morning yet in western Sydney with 0.1C at Richmond.

Regards,
Jimmy Deguara

[Harley Pearman]

I have been looking at this topic too. This June, the nights have been warmer than normal and I have had a look at the BOM weather stations for outer Sydney. A few other locations in the outer outer areas of Sydney have recorded similar minimum temperatures too over the past 2 to 3 nights:-

Bageries Creek

Thursday -0.4 C, Friday 0.2 C, Saturday 1.1 C

It is likely that there would have been a frost on Thursday and Friday morning here.

Camden

Thursday -1.6 C, Friday -0.2 C, Saturday 0.7C.

It is highly likely that there would have been some frost on all three mornings in some areas here.

Richmond

Friday -0.5 C, Saturday, -0.1 C

Same again.

So far, this is limited to these outer areas. Anywhere outside these areas have recorded minimums of 2 C and above. For comparison, the coldest morning so far this year at Blacktown is 3.3 C recorded 28/6/08 which is a little too warm for a frost.

Harley Pearman

[Michael Bath]

No frosts around the Lismore area yet, though not sure if temps have cooled enough around Grafton so far this year. This morning however dropped to 6 at my place which is fairly cold for here (at the top of a hill). Stratocumulus pre-dawn soon pushed the temp back up.

Temps have approached -10 in the southern parts of the Northern Tablelands around Walcha this week.

[Jimmy Deguara]

Harley,

I have just checked and it seems there are some inaccuracies in your readings above. I like reading your comprehensive reports so it would be excellent to have this checked for any future reference. Do you think you may have ready the dew point or apparent temperature readings rather than the actual dry bulb temperature readings on the Bureau of meteogology website?

Michael, the -10C for the Walcha area and I suspect similar type of temperatures near Armidale in the hollows are just incredible considering the lowest temperature recorded in western Sydney is -8.3C at Richmond in 1970 from memory.

Regards,

Jimmy Deguara

[Richary]

I am wondering too about temperature measurements. I have an outdoor (cheap) thermometer setup that is sitting about 3 foot off the ground. I have caught it reading zero early this week first thing in the morning, but there was no sign of frost (just some dew). So I don't know whether to believe it.

Not my preferred setup but lost the old max/min thermometer in Adelaide.

[Rodney Wallbridge]

Gyday all thought this would be worthwhile adding a few Pics from  Ron in Walcha. He creates an ICETREE in his back yard the other weekend when they had -9 overnight.

[Michael Bath]

Amazing effect - Ron used a fine mist from a garden hose to create the icicles. I wonder how cold the air temp must be for this to work - just less than zero, or much colder ?

[Harley Pearman]

Jimmy

Thank you for advising me. I am curious now and I am not quite sure how the minimum temperatures are taken at the various sites. I had a look at the "Daily temperature readings" for various locations in the BOM web site and noted the minimums recorded. These are found in the Daily Observations Weather. In this case, for NSW.
 
I did some checking of the minimums noted at Weatherzone as well to match up and this is what I found for those mornings 26/6/08 to 30/6/08:-

Richmond

Thursday 2.9 C, Friday -0.5C, Saturday 0.0 C Sunday 0.7C Monday -0.1 C

Badgerys Creek

Thursday -0.4 C, Friday 0.2 C, Saturday 1.1C, Sunday 0.4C, Monday -1.1 C.

Camden

Thursday -1.6 C, Friday -0.2 C, Saturday 0.7 C, Sunday 0.1 C, Monday -2.4C

As you say there may be variations and differences to these, I would be very interested in learning more about this. Thank you.

Harley Pearman

[Jimmy Deguara]

Actually Harley,

You are correct. I was checking the half hourly temperature BoM data and not the actual absolute minimum records so it is could be correct and not necessarily what I had suggested. Good that you verified as I know you are pedantic when it comes to statistical records. Thanks for that.

Regards,

Jimmy Deguara

[Harley Pearman]

Cold mornings in Liawenee (Tasmania)

Yesterday, I read a report on Weatherzone Weather News concerning what is described as a "Super cold snap" in which the residents of a small town called Liawenee in the Central Highlands of Tasmania (Western edge of Great Lake) on Lake Highway about 56 km south of Deloraine woke up to a minimum temperature of -9.6 C at 6 am.

However upon investigating this and checking the official weather station at this site, I think this cold is worth reporting here:-

Tu 1/7/08 Min Temp -1.8 C, Max temp 2.3 C
We 2/7/08 Min temp -1.8 C, Max temp 0.9 C
Th 3/7/08 Min temp -1.7 C, Max temp 2.8 C
Fri 4/7/08 Min Temp - 10.7 C, Max temp 4.9 C
Sa 5/7/08 Min temp -9.8 C, (Max temp not available as I type this at 11.13 am).

Rather cold on Friday and Saturday mornings. Locals confirm the coldest period here since the weather station was operational in 2001.

There is also a photograph of Mt Wellington (Same storey) bathed in the early morning sunrise with snow down to low levels.

Harley Pearman

[Andrej Flis]

I see that morning temperatures in your country are not so low as i taught.
I was expecting temp. around -10. I remmember when there was -20°C here. That was the morning temp. And the max day was around -1

It is better not to have so low temp.
I love the ICETREE pictures


Regards,
Andy

[Richary]

Australia has a wide range of temperatures, mainly due to it's size. But most of the population live near the coast (different from Slovenia!) and the low elevation and proximity to water generally keeps the temperatures within reason in most capitals.

From wikipedia the hottest every recorded is 50.2 C at Oodnadatta in South Australia, the coldest -23 C at Charlottes Pass which is near Australia's highest mountain (which isn't that high by world standards).

Canberra is probably the coldest capital city in Australia for minimum temperatures, because it is situated inland at a fair elevation. It gets a little bit of snow that rarely settles every couple of years. The alternative is Hobart in Tasmania which is at water level so while it gets snow I don't know if the temperatures overnight get quite as low.

My personal experience living in Australia has ranged from -11 in Canberra (riding the bike to school was fun that morning, we got used to riding no hands with good gloves and the hands inside the jacket) to _+47 at Woomera in South Australia. Luckily in those outback areas humidity is very low so it doesn't feel as bad as Sydney or Brisbane 10 degrees cooler.

[Michael Bath]

The Liawenee observation site - elevation 1055 metres - has only been running since 2001. A local who lives at Miena, near Liawenee quoted in that ABC news report suggested it was the coldest morning for 25 years when -14 was reported.

You can see the snow on Mt Wellington from this excellent webcam:

http://www.rosebay.tased.edu.au/Camera.htm

[Peter J]

From wikipedia the hottest every recorded is 50.2 C at Oodnadatta in South Australia...

Funny, I thought the hottest temp recorded was Cloncurry QLD - +51.3c (source: BoM archives)

Big Pete

[Richary]

From wikipedia the hottest every recorded is 50.2 C at Oodnadatta in South Australia...

Funny, I thought the hottest temp recorded was Cloncurry QLD - +51.3c (source: BoM archives)

Yes it surprised me as well (not that wikipedia is always reliable) as I thought the hottest place in Australia was Marble Bar WA. Had a quick hunt on the BoM site before I posted but couldn't find the link to the records.