Weather winter 2010/2011

[Maggi Young]

That must be sunrise 

A novel thought... I was thinking more along the lines of the glow from a nuclear power station.........

[cohan]

Like Cohan we've had a week of temperatures above zero and melting most of the snow which had arrived in early november. This has also resulted in local flooding, but nothing serious. Yesterday I noticed a strange optical phenomenon in the southern sky just above the horizon. It didn't last long, but I did manage to get one picture. Any ideas as to what this is?

Our week of warm did nothing much to our snow on the ground (settled several inches, no doubt) and we have another fresh 15-20cm on top now!  -18C today, -33C tonight, +4C Friday!
Stephen--shocking and a little heartening to think there are people with even less winter sun than me
Paul--I don't think you really want much of our cool air

[Paul T]

Cohan,

No, but I'd love somewhere in between (preferably still above freezing though thanks!) 

[cohan]

Cohan,

No, but I'd love somewhere in between (preferably still above freezing though thanks!) 

yes, closer to your end, no doubt-- +35 there, -31 at least here, tonight, would still only leave you +4.. better wait till Saturday night when I am forecast only -7 which would leave you at +28--that should seem cool, no?

[Paul T]

Ah yes, but if you average instead of just add them (or subtract them) then Saturday sounds even nicer than 28. 

[cohan]

If, like Paul, you are in need of  bit of cooling, here are some road pics from early January, shots taken on my way to work (I wasn't driving!)
http://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/January3102011#

[ArnoldT]

Here's an illustration of  the fault of  rain gutters in the winter  that Mark mentioned a while back.

The shingles are 8" exposure

[Paul T]

Arnold,

What do you mean by "the shingles are 8" exposure"?

While the southern states of Australia are baking in a heatwave (bushfires etc starting to break out in various states), Queensland is going to be hammered again.  This time it is by the "largest Cyclone to hit Queensland in recent generations" (quote from a QLD official on the news this morning).  It's going to hit just near Innisfail, which was nearly destroyed by Cyclone Larry in 2006, but this storm is much larger, both in size and in wind speed.  Then there'll be the rainfall associated with it that will spread across QLD and into so many areas that are already trying to recover from the recent floods.  The Cyclone is expected to make landfall somewhere around 9 or 10pm tonight, somewhere just south of Innisfail if it continues tracking as it currently is.

My thoughts go out to those who are in the affected areas.  I know we have at least one person in Cairns on the forum, don't we?  Anyone else up in that region?

[ArnoldT]

The shingles are 18 " long.  The amount of the shingle exposed to view is 8".  I mentioned this to give some scale to the photo.

[TheOnionMan]

Arnold, I really should try and get out to take photos of some of the monstrous ice damming on some building; our local post office building is like an ice palace.  Although I doubt I'll be able to get out soon, had another 12" today, and with back-to-back storms, another 12" predicted for tomorrow, for an official total of 7' (210 cm) since the beginning of January.

[Paul T]

Good Grief, Mark.  That's an amazing amount of snow (well to me anyway).

Arnold,

Thanks.  I didn't think of the wall surface as shingles, so I was somewhat confused.  Even more than normal. 

[johnw]

Finally snow here. 1cm on Sunday, 10 cm of the fluffiest imagineable type this evening, 20 cm tomorrow. Winter has arrived after one of the mildest stretches since November.  This is nothing compared to the 7 m. (yes metres) I witnessed in St. John's, Nfld. back inthe early 2000's.

Best of luck to those in Queensland who've endured quite enough.

johnw

[ArnoldT]

Paul:

The original siding was cedar shakes which I replaced with the same.  A popular siding along seacoast areas especially in the Northeast US.  The wood comes from British Columbia.

[Paul T]

Arnold,

Yeah, I've seen them in some of the design programmes on TV at times, so I know what you're talking about.  Thanks.

[Paul T]

Last week's Tropical Cyclone Anthony (hit around the same place as the current TC Yasi is going to hit tonight) is today's rain depression in the southern states.  Getting rain and thunderstorms from the mass of cloud moving down through NSW that I think used to more or less be TC Anthony.  Very nice I must say, as we were feeling somewhat dry here.  Still forecast 30^oC tomorrow and showers, so it is going to be stinking humid.  That won't be nice at all, but tonight's rain is a welcome bit of cool, at least while it lasts.  Probably warm air will move in after it and we'll stay up in the low 20s tonight.