Discussion: Sydney's Weather

[ATO2]

Yes, I was referring to June 1974- I was on my honeymoon that time.
Actually, I was born in NZ, my parents went back to Ireland and I started school there. Later we came back to NZ. I travelled much, since then.
Dual citizenship is a dodgey thing: gives one the right to pay taxes in both countries!LOL

[TokWW]

I hear on the radio this morning that 400 pubs in Ireland have closed down or been closed in the last couple of years through the No Smoking Laws recently introduced...

And there have been huge floods yesterday in NI...

[ATO2]

Originally Posted by TokWW

I hear on the radio this morning that 400 pubs in Ireland have closed down or been closed in the last couple of years through the No Smoking Laws recently introduced...

And there have been huge floods yesterday in NI...

Wet weather through lots of Ireland, I gather. The Irish state broadcaster reports that drinking water is being sent to Sligo, in the north west of the Republic. The idea that a pub would close down in Ireland seems unthinkable, in fact unpatriotic.

[RWood]

Originally Posted by ATO2

I think you are right, RWood! Rainfan: this country offers you the chance to confront real wind! LOL.
Mind you, I can't stand it either!

To me rain is the only real show-stopper. Persistent rain makes any outdoor activity unpleasant. I have a formula I apply to the monthly and annual values for Kelburn stats to decide their relative merits according to my viewpoint - the major factors are mean temperature, sunshine and rainfall/rain days. Until recently I had the total weighting from the rainfall factors a bit lower than temperature or sunshine, but after recent experiences they've been set to the same level!

[ATO2]

Originally Posted by RWood

To me rain is the only real show-stopper. Persistent rain makes any outdoor activity unpleasant. I have a formula I apply to the monthly and annual values for Kelburn stats to decide their relative merits according to my viewpoint - the major factors are mean temperature, sunshine and rainfall/rain days. Until recently I had the total weighting from the rainfall factors a bit lower than temperature or sunshine, but after recent experiences they've been set to the same level!

Yes, you wrap against the wind and move around and keep warm and keep working. But rain wrecks it!

[RWood]

I noted the very low windspeeds in the main body of Europe in a holiday in Aug-Sep 1999. Air quality was reasonable in Denmark and Norway but in Germany, Austria, France (Paris) and the lower levels in Switzerland it left a lot to be desired. The same applied in London. I concluded that we were better off with our extra wind, even though I felt cold for a while on returning home.

[rainfan]

Much better today with light to moderate AM milder NW winds turning to NE winds late afternoon despite the constant high cloud . Min of 8 and high of 19 in city (airport 7/20). Several suburbs such as Olympic Park and Penrith reached 20oC. Spent another nice & mild evening outside in the garden, 14oC atm with very light winds .

[rainfan]

Ah it can get as windy here as in NZ!. Don't know why Kiwi's insist the wind is much stronger there, it's just as bad here!

A lot of Sydneysiders including me dislike the cold dry westerlies during winter as they tend to raise the wind chill factor, say its 15 in the city, in the wind it feels like 10, 11 degrees, it’s even worse during early mornings. You’ll hear a lot of Sydneysiders complaining about the winter “wind”, I hear those every single day wherever I am.

That’s the price we pay for clear, crisp winter days – usually accompanied by cold W-SW winds which can be really unpleasant & spoil blue dome skies/sunny weather. On few occasions it will change to the NW-NE during the day which makes it more bearable. Light winds during winter in W airflows on clear days isn't all that common.

On the other hand - the same winds in late spring/summer/early autumn can bring searing heat from the NW. SW winds during the summer can be pleasant especially after a humid spell but can bring cooler temperatures especially at night (Xmas 2006 is a such example) & are usually very short-lived. I consider W winds to bring the most extreme in terms of human comfort/discomfort. (The Bogong Moth invasion of last year; dustorm of October 2002 & bushfire smoke of a few years ago are such examples as they were brought here by W airflows). Also they after a long spell of no rain blow dust around & right into everyone's eyes.

S winds are cold of course but doesn't feel as cold as the W because of the increase in moisture & the diurnal range isn't too big - ie min temps don't drop to very low levels.

Out of interest; on average Perth is the windiest state capital (helped by the Fremantle Doctor no doubt) & Canberra the least (because of its inland location).

[TokWW]

Originally Posted by rainfan

... Olympic Park and Penrith reached 20oC. Spent another nice & mild evening outside in the garden, 14oC atm with very light winds .

Too cold over here for that!!! 16ºC was the high for today at KeriKeri, Bay of Islands... many sheltered places under 6ºC at 6pm... For some, that was their high! Enjoy the early spring temps!!

[rainfan]

Originally Posted by ATO2

Yes, I was referring to June 1974- I was on my honeymoon that time.
Actually, I was born in NZ, my parents went back to Ireland and I started school there. Later we came back to NZ. I travelled much, since then.
Dual citizenship is a dodgey thing: gives one the right to pay taxes in both countries!LOL

Ah OK. You can claim tax back from both countries so isn't a bad thing or is it? Anything to get your hard-earned tax dollars back! I know I pay more than I would like to here , however got a very nice hefty refund this year so put me in a very good mood as it's real pleasureable to be winning my annual battle with the tax-man for once!

If you had come in during 26-28 May 1974, you would have experienced the southerly storm in which huge gales which caused a lot of damage including running to ground a ship near Newcastle; echoed in June 2007's storms, tossed rocks the size of huge boulders from the sea onto dry land; several spots on the coast have plagues on those rocks commemorating the event. Sydney recorded a max gust of 108km/hr & Newcastle 165km/hr. Heavy rain also fell with 152.4mm (Sydney) falling over the same period as well.