Latest news with #MiriamBradbury
West Australian
8 hours ago
- Climate
- West Australian
WA and Perth weather: Severe thunderstorms expected across the State, with hail forecast for Saturday
Severe thunderstorms are set to smash parts of WA, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning that trees could be brought down and of possible power outages across the State. People in areas from Jurien Bay to Albany, including Perth and Bunbury, have been told that severe thunderstorms could hit on Friday afternoon. Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said that the storms were due to an approaching cold front. 'We can see isolated to scattered showers already developing across the west and south-west coasts ahead of that approaching cold front,' she said. 'Winds and isolated thunderstorms are also going to build through the course of today as that system approaches, then moves through.' Ms Bradbury said that while West Aussies could get a break from the thunderstorms by Friday night, it would likely be short-lived. She said the most severe impacts, such as damaging winds and flash flooding, would happen around the coastal fringes. She said string winds were the key concern. 'We're seeing very strong north-westerly winds coming in ahead of the system, shifting sharply to south-westerlies behind it,' Ms Bradbury said. 'That first burst of strong winds will come through with the front itself, but we've got a second burst coming up in that cold, unstable southerly flow that will push against the southern coast of the state through the later part of (Saturday) into early Sunday. 'We're then likely to see a third burst of strong winds moving through on Sunday afternoon going into the early part of Monday. 'For those damaging winds, they could bring down trees and tree limbs, potentially leading to dangerous driving conditions or damage to cars and property 'We may also see some power outages, depending on how widespread those severe storms might be and how wide reaching their impacts are.' Hail is also possible on Saturday, with Ms Bradbury forecasting rain totals of around 15mm to 30mm across the South West in the next three days. Saturday: 17C, thunderstorm and hail Sunday: 19C, rain Monday: 18C, showers Tuesday: 19C, cloudy Wednesday: 19C, sunny Thursday: 20C, showers
Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Climate
- Perth Now
Severe thunderstorms set to smash Perth this weekend
Severe thunderstorms are set to smash parts of WA, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning that trees could be brought down and of possible power outages across the State. People in areas from Jurien Bay to Albany, including Perth and Bunbury, have been told that severe thunderstorms could hit on Friday afternoon. Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said that the storms were due to an approaching cold front. 'We can see isolated to scattered showers already developing across the west and south-west coasts ahead of that approaching cold front,' she said. 'Winds and isolated thunderstorms are also going to build through the course of today as that system approaches, then moves through.' Ms Bradbury said that while West Aussies could get a break from the thunderstorms by Friday night, it would likely be short-lived. She said the most severe impacts, such as damaging winds and flash flooding, would happen around the coastal fringes. She said string winds were the key concern. 'We're seeing very strong north-westerly winds coming in ahead of the system, shifting sharply to south-westerlies behind it,' Ms Bradbury said. 'That first burst of strong winds will come through with the front itself, but we've got a second burst coming up in that cold, unstable southerly flow that will push against the southern coast of the state through the later part of (Saturday) into early Sunday. 'We're then likely to see a third burst of strong winds moving through on Sunday afternoon going into the early part of Monday. 'For those damaging winds, they could bring down trees and tree limbs, potentially leading to dangerous driving conditions or damage to cars and property 'We may also see some power outages, depending on how widespread those severe storms might be and how wide reaching their impacts are.' Hail is also possible on Saturday, with Ms Bradbury forecasting rain totals of around 15mm to 30mm across the South West in the next three days. Saturday: 17C, thunderstorm and hail Sunday: 19C, rain Monday: 18C, showers Tuesday: 19C, cloudy Wednesday: 19C, sunny Thursday: 20C, showers
ABC News
14 hours ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Winter solstice brings widespread frost as Australia's coldest towns revealed
Temperatures have been plummeting in large parts of the country as Australia closes in on the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. On Friday morning, widespread frosty conditions spread across large parts of New South Wales and Victoria, and some parts of Queensland. Cold air and clear skies combined saw broad areas drop to sub-zero degrees, with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) recording some of the coldest temperatures in two years in several locations. "This is definitely the lowest temperatures that we've seen this year [for some]," BOM senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said. "But that makes sense as we've moved into the beginning of winter, and typically that sort of June, July period is the coldest for most parts of Australia." But during the depths of winter, which town actually holds bragging rights as the coldest in the country? We've asked the BOM's climate team to open up the history books and take a look at the stats. Turns out the answer is similar to what's unfolded this week. First, let's start with the definition of "coldest", because there are quite a few ways to answer it. We've looked at two different metrics. The BOM looked at its available records for July, which is the coldest month of the year. We've also defined a "town" as having more than 1,000 people, in line with the Australian Bureau of Statistics definition of an "urban centre". So, sorry to Liawanee, Tasmania — population two — which is the true coldest inhabited place in Australia, but you'll have to sit this one out. We're also going to exclude the Alps, because everyone knows it's cold there. Based on overnight temperatures in the depths of winter, Australia's coldest town is Cooma, in southern New South Wales. During July, the town — known as the "capital of the Snowy Mountains" — averages minus 2.6 degrees Celsius at night, and -2C at the airport, according to figures from the BOM. "Anything elevated is going to be cooler because the temperature does decrease with height. It's always cooler up on the mountains than it is down in the lower-lying areas," Ms Bradbury said. "So Cooma, because it's got that little bit of elevation at 800 metres, it does generally see a cooler climate than some of those lower-lying areas." This week it has certainly been living up to that reputation, falling to -7C this Thursday and -8.5C on Friday. An honourable mention also goes to Walcha, in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, which wasn't far behind with a July average minimum of -2.2C. So that's the overnight temperature. But what about during the day? With that lens on, the title of coldest town stays in New South Wales — this time, going to Oberon in the Central Tablelands. During July, its temperature doesn't even make it into the double digits, peaking at between 8.1 and 8.8C on average, according to BOM figures. Add a bit of wind chill into the equation, and it's likely to feel even colder. "When it's windier, it feels colder. When it's more humid or the dew point temperature is higher, it tends to feel warmer," Ms Bradbury said. It just so happens that the coldest place, by average temperature, is a draw between both Oberon and Cooma. So if you're looking for a tie-breaker, you're out of luck. Of course, there are a lot of places in Australia that either don't have observations or haven't had weather station data for as long as others. It means there may be colder places out there, but there is just no good data to back it up. For the record, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Australia was at Charlotte Pass. On June 29, 1994, it dropped down to -23C at the Kosciuszko Chalet. The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was set at Vostok Station, in Antarctica, which dropped down to -89.4C on July 21, 1983. Ms Bradbury said both Oberon and Cooma were good examples of the type of features that made a town cold. In general, our coldest winter places are elevated and far enough south that they feel the effects of the winter fronts coming through. They also tend to be inland. "At this time of year, once the sun goes down, especially if we have a clear night, the temperature drops very quickly over land," she said. "But the water will hold its heat a little bit more, and that, in turn, will make those coastal locations just a touch milder than inland." During the summer months, on the other hand, it's the coastal areas that are usually the coolest. "It's sort of the inverse of the situation," she said. "You're more likely to get the sea breezes, and, you know, the heat is sort of retained a little bit more over the land." This Saturday marks the Southern Hemisphere's winter solstice — the shortest day of the year. It signals the point at which the hemisphere is tilted furthest away from the Sun, meaning fewer daylight hours. But the coldest time of the year is still to come. It takes time for the oceans and land to cool down and heat up, known as the "seasonal lag". This means the coldest temperatures are typically a few weeks after the shortest day of the year. Having said that, the weather can always throw a spanner in the works, according to Ms Bradbury. In terms of the current run of cold weather, Ms Bradbury said the frigid mornings would continue throughout the weekend until a cold front arrived, stirring up strong winds and the possibility of severe weather warnings. The front is expected to reach Western Australia today, and then take the weekend to move across the Bight. "So as we go into early next week, we've actually got a couple of fronts whipping through, which are going to keep conditions fairly windy," she said. "We may see severe weather warnings for damaging winds issued, both ahead of and behind the front. The winds are looking very strong." Notes about the data: The statistics for July are based on 1961-1990 averages for those sites that have sufficient data in the 1961-1990 period, and all available years of data otherwise. Note that some sites are no longer operational.
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- Climate
- News.com.au
Thousands of NSW residents face a heartbreaking clean up after deadly floods
Tens of thousands of NSW residents face a heartbreaking clean up after deadly floods left a wave of destruction. Five people were killed as a catastrophic weather event left 50,000 people isolated in the Mid North Coast before the rain pummelled Sydney on Friday, triggering train delays and cancelled flights across the city. The SES received 6800 call outs and estimate about 10,000 properties have been damaged in the devastating floods. Flooding is affecting large parts of the state east of the Great Dividing Range from the Northern Rivers to the South Coast. Sections of the Pacific Highway and Macquarie Pass were shutdown due to roads being inundated with water. The worst hit areas were located near river systems on the Mid North Coast and Hunter regions including Taree, Kempsey, Port Macquarie and Wauchope. Comboyne in the Manning River catchment recorded 700mm of rainfall with other places receiving 500 to 6oomm of rain across the week. Authorities warned as rainfall eased along the NSW coastline across the weekend the risk from flooding was far from over as water from heavier falls made its way downstream. Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said there would still be widespread significant flooding before another weather system hit the state on Monday bringing strong winds and moderate rainfall. 'River peaks are flowing through lower parts of the catchment, and major flood warnings are in place for the Macleay River, the Hastings River, Wollombi Brook and Tuggerah Lake, with minor to moderate flood warnings for much of the entirety of NSW east coast,' she said.
West Australian
16-05-2025
- Climate
- West Australian
Heavy rain, winds blast NSW coast as snow falls across Victoria in wild bout of weekend weather
A triple threat of weather is forecast to blast millions of Aussies this weekend, as heavy rain and winds hit the east coast and snow falls in the southern alpine region. The first 'significant' snowfall of the year will hit Australia's mainland as a cold front settles in over the weekend. Snowfall to elevations as low as 900 metres has been forecasted, as a trough develops. Weatherzone reports up to 5cm of snow will gather at higher elevations with a higher chance of falls as the cold front drags moisture from a warmer than usual Tasman Sea. The low pressure troughs sitting along the east coast are also causing 'unsettled weather', according to senior meteorologist at the at the Bureau of Meteorology, Miriam Bradbury. 'This weather pattern will continue into Friday, with the potential for some more moderate rainfall across the southeast of Queensland as we move into the later part of Friday and into Saturday,' Ms Bradbury said on Friday. 'A cold front is expected to cross southeast Australia, ushering in what is likely to be the coldest weekend of the year so far. 'We'll see scattered showers and locally gusty winds developing late (on Friday), going in to early (Saturday) as the front moves through.' Flood warnings have been issued in New South Wales as some areas of the state are predicted to be lashed with up to 50 to 99mm of rain in just one day. A minor flood warning has been issued for the Warrego River and the Darling River. An initial flood watch warning has also been issued for the Manning, Myall, Paterson Williams and Hunter catchments. Heavy fog has also hit Sydney, and drivers in Western suburbs are warned to take extreme care due to reduced visibility. Temperatures in the harbourside city are predicted to reach a max of 22 degrees, but will be a mostly sunny day with rains predicted for later in the evening. Queensland is also facing heavy rains, with Surfers Paradise bearing the brunt with showers up to 15mm. Brisbane is facing up to 10mm of rain, and the Sunshine Coast follows closely with up to 9mm. A minor flood warning has been issued for the Lower Diamantina River, and Eyre Creek. Brisbane is forecasted to hit a maximum of 26 degrees, and a 90 per cent chance of rain up to 10mm. Thunderstorms may batter the urban hub this morning, but are predicted to ease as the day goes on. Lucky Victorians could catch early snowfall, especially in North Central and North East regions. Lake Mountain, Mount Buller, Mount Hotham, Falls Creek will all probably see snow, following rainfall. Regional Victoria could also receive some drought relief, as particular regions may experience showers. Swan Hill, Ouyen, Horsham, Stawell, Nhill, Edenhope, Lake Eildon, most of Central Victoria, West and South Gippsland and East Gippsland will be hit with rainfall. Melburnians are predicted to cop 15mm of rainfall with a 95 per cent chance of rain and temperatures of up to 14 degrees. It will be a cloudy day with winds up to 25km/h. Although South Australia is facing minimal showers, a flood warning has still been issued for inland rivers as water levels remain elevated and fall slowly, impacting drivers. Floodwaters from the Warburton River are flowing into northern parts of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and will continue for several weeks. Along Cooper Creek at Walkers Crossing and Coongie Lakes, creek levels remain elevated and continue to fall slowly. Floodwaters may cut roads and access tracks, and in particular river crossings, impacting travel in the region. Adelaide is forecasted with a 70 per cent chance of rain of up to 3mm, and temperatures up to 16 degrees. Darwin will be sunny and 31 degrees, with a zero chance of rain. Smoke haze may impact the region, and winds of up to 25km/h will ease later in the day. Perth will experience similar weather conditions with a sunny 26 degrees, with a 5 per cent chance of rain. Winds of up to 20km/h will ease around midday, and could pick up again in an easterly direction in the evening. It will be chilly in Tasmania, with a maximum temperature of 11 degrees predicted for the day, along with a 30 per cent chance of rain. Small hail could rain over the region, along with winds of up to 30km/h.
