NH Summer/SH Winter Thread 2024

I wouldn't say so...pretty typical for a thunderstorm no matter where you are really

More Rain On The Way For Western Australia
( source: Weatherzone )

Att: Beercules note the word circled in red...

The satellite images below show a cold front passing over the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, approaching Australia from the west. This front will reach the southwest of WA on Thursday and deliver a burst of rain, storms and wind during Thursday and Friday.

Rain and possible storms will initially affect the state’s far southwest from Thursday morning before spreading to Perth and other areas of the South West Land Division in the afternoon and evening. Damaging wind gusts are possible in the state’s southwest with the passage of the front on Thursday.
On Friday, rain will also extend up to the Gascoyne, across the Central Wheatbelt and Goldfields and down to the state’s south coast.

The map below shows how much rain one computer model is predicting between now and the end of Friday.

Another front will then approach the state on the weekend, causing rain, storms and wind to reintensify across the west and southwest of WA on Saturday and Sunday.
The heaviest rain on the weekend is expected to fall along the west coast, although useful rain should also extend across parts of the Wheatbelt and southern Goldfields.
Damaging winds are likely to affect some western and southwestern parts of WA on Sunday as a powerful surge of westerlies pushed in behind the cold front. Severe weather warnings are likely to be issued closer to Sunday for this system.

Stay up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings during the rest of this week for the most accurate information on these cold fronts.

When I lived in Rochester, temp drops this big and rapid were quite rare for thunderstorms. Even in Fort Collins, it's noteworthy when the temp drops that much with a thunderstorm, especially if it's spring or early summer.

Another thunderstorm today. Had several rounds of 5-10 minute showers pass through in the following couple hours which was interesting.

Grass And Slush For Ski Season Opening
( source: Weatherzone )

The traditional opening of the Australian snow season this long weekend is looking grim on the slopes, after snow that fell earlier this week was washed away by rain.
The good news is that a poor opening weekend means nothing for the quality of the season ahead, as there's often not much snow in early June. Indeed, some of the best Australian snow seasons have started with grassy slopes at this time of year.

But for now, there will only be very limited sliding for first-time skiers and snowboarders on the remnants of snowmaking snow from last week's string of cold nights.

In NSW, both Perisher and Thredbo plan to run beginner's carpets which means a tiny slope of 50 or 100 metres in length with a carpet for uphill transport, which is a bit like a conveyor belt. No chairlifts will operate for skiing or boarding.

In Victoria, Mt Buller looks like it will open a chairlift on its Bourke St beginner's run thanks to the magic of what it calls its "snow factory".

The snow factory is different to traditional snowmaking.

With snowmaking, a fine mist is blasted out into the cold night air from snow guns which then forms crystals and settles in a blanket just like snow.
The snow factory manufactures an icy slush inside a rectangular structure that looks like a shipping container. The result looks like a lemonade slurpee from the service station and is then emptied out and spread out onto the slopes, where it has a consistency like slushy spring snow.
Mt Baw Baw near Melbourne has also been stockpiling snow from its snow factory and even covering it with a tarp to protect against rain.

Looking ahead, the good news is that the first serious snow of the season is due midweek, with totals of 20 to 40 cm possible across the high country of NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.
This being the long weekend, there is also plenty to do even without snow.
Thredbo is also debuting a new activity this weekend which is not dependant on snow. Called the "Thredbo Alpine Coaster", it’s a ride a little like a roller coaster at an amusement park, only you ride on individual carts and gravity does all the work.


As ever check our snow page for the latest conditions, forecasts and more during the season. It's now up and running and regularly updated.

Z500 anomoly since midi April:

Setup not really different from a typical February or March setup on the east coast with extreme temp gradients.

Been a pretty wet year so far with 39.90" of rain to date! Getting close to last year's total of 42.23".

Right now NOAA is calling for above average precip this summer here and June is starting off wet. Hoping we don't have anything similar to last years' summer with drought and record breaking heat.

Parts of Queensland Record Their Coldest June Morning in 12 Years as Winter Reaches Northern Queensland
( source: Anthony Cornelius Meteorologist )
There weren't many places in Queensland where winter's icy tentacles didn't reach this morning with only three official mainland recording stations recording minimums of 20C or higher! (Cape Flattery, Lockhart River and Weipa - the other stations were all islands).
Perhaps one of the most impressive minimums was Burketown in the northwestern Gulf Country where the minimum fell to just 9.0C, their coldest June morning in 12 years. There were plenty of well below average minimums though, a few included:
Southeast Queensland
Brisbane AP 6.4C - 5C below average
Brisbane CBD 9.0C - 3C below average
Ipswich 1.3C - 6C below average
Wellcamp -2.0C
Oakey -1.3C - 5C below average
Queensland
Hughenden 2.2C - 9C below average
Richmond 3.3C - 6C below average
Proserpine 5.5C - 7C below average
Cairns 14.9C - 3C below average
Townsville 8.1C (4.2C Weapons Range) - 7C below average
Mackay AP 7.2C - 6C below average
It's all thanks to a low off the NSW coastline that brought heavy rainfall during the last 1-2 days. While the winds here are humid, by the time they travel over 1000km of land in Queensland they're much drier (along with the presence of a cooler airmass). Thankfully temperatures in Queensland will become a little warmer again mid-next week!

We all know it's been a cool start to Summer in the UK. But this is the average temperature for a town called Flash, in the Peak District, at 487m / 1,567ft MSL.

The numbers in bold are the avg. Min, Max and Mean temps for June 2024 1st-9th. The avg max of 12.1°C is perhaps a bit on the cold side.