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Rain and the odd storm over SA, southwest QLD and western NSW as gusty easterly winds become unstable and moist, leading to some flooding. Showery onshore winds along the eastern seaboard around a high. A cold front is driving gusty showers and rain over central and western WA.
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Today, 2:13AM UTC
Trough and cold front runs through western WA
A trough and cold front containing gusty winds and heavy showers is making its way through the west of the country this morning, with gale force winds affecting the southwestern WA coast and showers stretching right up to the Pilbara. A severe weather warning for damaging winds was in effect overnight but was cancelled in the early hours of the morning as winds began to ease. Gif: Himawari Satellite and radar for southwest WA on Sunday morning Some of the strongest winds we have seen from this front overnight include: 102km/h at Rottnest Island 96km/h at Cape Naturaliste 85km/h at Busselton Jetty 83km/h at Cape Leeuwin Rainfall associated with the system has been falling for most of the last 24 hours with accumulated falls generally higher in locations further north. Some of the highest 24-hour totals to 9am this morning are: 29mm at Kalbarri 22mm at Carnarvon Ap 21mm at Geraldton Ap 19mm at Badgingarra 16mm at Bunbury Image: Himawari Satellite, rain radar and lightning for Perth and surrounding areas on Sun 7th 9:30am WST Areas south of Perth have picked up 5-15mm, while Perth itself and surrounding areas had picked up single digit totals in the same period. In addition to the rain falling yesterday and before dawn this morning, pockets of heavy showers have worked their way through the southwest of the state, making it a soggy start for anyone that had plans for a Sunday breakfast. If you look closely at the above image, you’ll even see some lightning detected near Rockingham, meaning some people may have heard some rumbling to accompany the shower activity. The cold front is stretching out from a low pressure system in the Southern Ocean, more than 2000km south of Perth, however there isn’t much cold air to be seen behind it. Temperatures across the west coast are forecast to reach the high teens to low 20s as skies quickly clear and winds tend west-northwesterly. Low cloud further inland will be responsible for it being a few degrees cooler while Kalgoorlie is looking at a chillier maximum of 15°C as the front passes over the town today. Image: Forecast maximum temperatures for southern WA on Sunday 7th In the coming days, temperatures look to warm even further as winds tend northerly ahead of another trough and front. That system is expected to cross later on Tuesday, heralding in a cooler spell that will last for the rest of the week.
06 Jul 2024, 7:51AM UTC
Wind's unusual turn in SA, but how unusual?
The past two days have seen a variety of effects of gusty easterly winds across South Australia, bending and breaking trees, blowing rain onto dusty east-facing windows and tilting goalposts in the other direction. Where it hasn't been raining so much, desert sand dunes have been reshaped, frustrating wildlife. When this month began, winds were blowing from the south which is not unusual at this time of year, due to a high centred over the Bight. Since then, the high has edged to Tasmania and a trough has developed over the interior, creating an unusual pattern. This weather pattern (an unstable trough forming in the north and a stable high in the south) is more typical in summer than in winter. Image: Today’s isobars, wind barbs (indicating easterly-component winds), satellite, radar, lightning and rainfall observations – all atypical for this time of year. On the same day last year, it was also windy but in the more winter-like westerlies which brought widespread showers and some small hail to the state's south. Image: Isobars, wind barbs (indicating westerly-component winds), satellite, radar, lightning and rainfall observations from this time last year – all typical for this time of year These recent easterlies have been fairly strong, helping generate valuable wind power. Wind strength alone has not been out of the ordinary, but the strength of this direction has. Easterly wind gusts have been the strongest recorded in - 13 years at Port Augusta (80 km/h-gusting easterly), at least 9 years at Port Pirie (85 km/h) 7 years at Whyalla (57 km/h) 21 months at Roseworthy (59 km/h) and Clare (50 km/h) 18 months at Sellicks Hill (67 km/h), Roxby Downs (50 km/h) and Marree (61 km/h) 17 months at Adelaide's Outer Harbor (52 km/h) 16 months at Snowtown (56 km/h) 6-7 months in Kadina (59 km/h), Cummins (54 km/h), Moonta (52 km/h) and Adelaide's Noarlunga (69 km/h), Airport (61 km/h), Parafield (61 km/h) and Elizabeth (50km/h) These winds have also been creating tricky conditions in the state's footy games, particularly in the northern leagues. Players have been adjusting, especially when kicking for goal, aiming to the right when kicking to the northern end. Players also have had trouble keeping the ball in play when kicking along the clubroom and grandstand side (grandstands are usually on the western side to shelter from the afternoon sun). Supporters also must adjust, being mostly on the grandstand or clubroom side, sauce falling from pies has a higher chance of landing on shirts. Expect a lot of behinds (rather than goals) and saucy shirts this weekend.
06 Jul 2024, 2:21AM UTC
While Australia shivers, Japan swelters
As temperatures plummet across southern Australia in the annual phenomenon known as ‘winter’, temperatures have soared across the Japanese archipelago with the start of summer. The rainy season (or tsuyu) is coming to an end and on sunnier days like today, temperatures are reaching the high 30s. On the face of it, it may seem like a pleasant alternative to a Melbourne winter, but the temperatures don’t tell the full story. Japanese summers are notoriously brutal because of one thing: the humidity. Dewpoints hover around 25 degrees and, combined with high temperatures and light winds, the “apparent or feels like” temperature can creep up to a very dangerous 50 degrees. For comparison, the humidity is similar to that experienced in Darwin in the warmer season or any other popular tropical getaway such as Thailand or Bali. Speaking of getaways, the Japanese yen has fallen to levels not seen in over 30 years and Japan has become an even more attractive tourist destination for Australians this year. But for those escaping our winter for something a little warmer, they might get more than they bargained for. Heatstroke alerts have been issued today for a vast swath across southern Japan, extending to Tokyo, which is expected to reach 35 degrees today, 36 degrees tomorrow and 37 degrees on Monday. Saitama, a particularly hot outer suburb of Tokyo, has a forecast of 38 degrees tomorrow and Monday. Current Heat Stroke Alert (JMA) Tokyo, Saitama forecasts (JMA) Once the rainy season officially ends in another week or two, the extreme heat can be expected to persist until about the end of August. But what does that mean for Australians? Holidays to Japan and especially Tokyo can involve a lot of walking. It’s easy to double your daily step count and exceed 20,000 steps per day without much thought. At any other time of year that can be enjoyable but in the summer heat, it’s exhausting and very, very sweaty. Countermeasures suggested by the JMA include wearing light, loose-fitting clothing, staying in the shade, using a parasol and/or hat, and maintaining hydration and salts. As a tourist, this could mean walking considerably less and/or at a slower pace, and even rescheduling your day to avoid peak heat. Interestingly, because Japan is so far east within its time-zone, the peak heat is a little earlier in the day than most Australian cities. The sun rises at about 4:30am and it is not uncommon for the temperature to exceed 30 degrees by 9am with the peak around midday. While local convenience stores and electronics stores offer a wide range of gadgets to beat the heat, my best tips are a battery powered (USB rechargeable) hand-held fan, a UV cutting umbrella and a Gari gari kun icy pole. Any umbrella will do but the UV cutting variety has an extra layer which makes it feel like you’re walking in the shade. Tips to beat the Japan summer heat (Gari gari kun provided by Akagi Nyugyo Co) Be sure to check the JMA Heat Illness page here and stay cool on your holidays! Main photo: Obon festival in Tokyo [photo: author]
Weather in Business
05 Jul 2024, 2:14AM UTC
Unusual wind direction to elevate wind power
After a lull in the winds this week, wind power is set to pick up from rock bottom as a rare easterly wind surge impacts Qld, NSW and SA. Wind power has been slack this week across the National Electricity Market (NEM) in response to a stubborn high-pressure system which has parked itself over the Bight. Image: Mean Sea Level Pressure (MSLP) at 10am on Friday, July 5 This high will continue to sit over the Bight and Tas, until it finally moves east into the Tasman Sea on Monday, July 8. The image below shows that we saw low wind power in the order of 30 to 60 GWh/day in response to this high earlier this week, but wind has picked up slightly to 100 GWh/day on Thursday, July 4. Image: Wind contribution to generation (GW) during the last 30 days leading up to Thursday, July 4. Source: OpenNEM Usually with high pressure sitting over the Bight, wind power should continue to be low into next week. However, the images below show a rare easterly wind surge elevating winds slightly across parts of Qld, NSW and SA from Friday and possibly Vic on Monday. Images: Instantaneous wind gust forecast between Friday, July 5 and Thursday, July 11 While it is common for easterly winds to move over Australia, it is the strength of the wind that is unusual. The strongest winds over southern Australia, typically originate from the north or south, while for the east coast, westerly winds are typically the strongest. These winds are normally associated with cold fronts sweeping over the country. This weekend we will see easterly winds strengthen as they feed into a cut of low over SA cradled by a high-pressure system in the Bight. The easterly wind surge will not match the strength of winds associated with cold fronts, so wind power will remain low to medium across Qld, NSW. In South Australia, wind speeds over the weekend should be strong, especially about the Flinders Ranges and western slopes from Saturday morning. As of 2:50pm Friday, there is a damaging wind warning out for these areas. Wind farms near Port Augusta could see winds reaching 90km/h from Saturday morning, with the potential for cut outs. The image below shows that the wind farm output across the NEM should increase ever so slightly in the coming days, compared to the very low winds we saw earlier this week. The image below shows that the wind farm output across the NEM should increase ever so slightly in the coming days, compared to the very low winds we saw earlier this week. Image: Weatherzone’s Opticast Wind Farm Output for the NEM from Friday, July 5 to Friday, July 12. The stronger easterly winds in these states, will also be accompanied by a thick northeasterly cloudband stretching from the Coral Sea down to SA. You can see in the image below that it has already begun thickening up and producing rainfall in these areas. Image: Himawari-9 satellite image at 11:50am AEST on Friday, July 5 This cloudband is likely to reduce solar output in these states between Friday and early next week. So, when is decent wind power coming? You can see in the image above wind power is forecast to increase above 150 GWh day later next week in the NEM, with strong cold front finally able to make its way across southern Australia. To find out more, please visit our contact page or email us at business@weatherzone.com.au.
01 Jul 2024, 2:25AM UTC
Low wind power week coinciding with high demand
A prolonged period of low wind will impact the National Electricity Market (NEM) this week, which is coinciding with bitterly cold weather driving up energy demand in the southeast. The weather systems appear to be stuck, with record challenging high-pressure expected to sit over Tas for an extended period. The images below show this stubborn high-pressure system sitting over Tas or the Bight for at least 6 to 7 days. Images: Mean Sea Level Pressure (MSLP) on Monday, July 1 (top), Wednesday, July 3 (middle) and Saturday, July 6 (bottom). This high-pressure system should prevent fronts or fierce winds from crossing southern Australia this week, bringing a prolonged period of light wind for the NEM. The impact of the high pressure is already being felt in the market, with wind power only contributing 656MW or 2.2% to generation at 10:30am Monday, July 1. Image: Wind power contribution to generation for 7 days leading up to Monday, July 1. Source: OpenNEM You can see in the image above that this lull in wind power comes after a windy week, which was caused by several cold fronts crossing the region. The light winds are set to continue for most of the week for the NEM, especially in the wind generation areas in Vic and Tas, which are closest to the central high pressure. Unfortunately, this will coincide with extremely cold nighttime temperatures across Vic and Tas, with Melbourne set to see a run of 5 to 6 mornings below 4°C from Tuesday night. Some good news is that for SA, Qld, NSW and the ACT wind generation areas, winds should pick up later in the week as a surge of easterly winds feeds into a cut off low in SA. Image: Instantaneous wind gusts at 1pm on Friday, July 5, according to ECMWF This is in response to a rare ‘northeast cloudband’ which should cause thick cloud to stretch from the Coral Sea down to SA later this week. The cloudband should reduce solar output across parts of QLD, NSW and SA and bring significant rain totals to these areas. Looking ahead, wind should remain light across Vic and Tas for at least the next 7 days. The models are suggesting that a strong cold front and decent wind could pass across southeastern Australia mid- next week. Weatherzone Business, a DTN company, supplies precise weather intelligence to over 75% of the National Energy Market (NEM) participants and is the trusted provider for Australia’s Market Operator. To find out more, please contact us at business@weatherzone.com.au.
