Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 19, 2008 When ever I fly across the equator up to Singapore etc I keep an eye out the window to see what's going on down below. It's a bit hard to tell wind direction though. Clouds tend to get thick and deep and definitely rainbearing at 10S, about where you cross the coast of Indonesia. Thunderstorms are humungous and maybe up to 60000ft high on and near the equator. It's an exciting place. I'd love to know if that wind direction thing is true. I'd imagine that right on the equator the winds would be light and variable, with more of a convection effect, than a prevailing wind effect. i find this all fascinating stuff. Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PricklyPearSATX 2 Report post Posted August 20, 2008 We've been getting rain off and on since Saturday, the 16th. The most occurred yesterday 1.63 inches. Today we had some strong storms. Probabilities will go down starting tomorrow. What is amazing, the weather service has said that this low pressure is more "fall like" in nature. Coming directly from the Plains. I don't know if it is any sign of an early fall, but the stubborn subtropical high that hangs over the Southern Plains, in places like Oklahoma, has shrunk for the time being. Our forecast for the next 7 days is low 90's and low 70's, which is pretty good considering it's August. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PricklyPearSATX 2 Report post Posted August 20, 2008 It was real hot yesterday morning then clouded up and there was a bit of rain. Today around noon there was an intense rain storm and the rest of the day stayed cloudy. Last week almost every day was around 37 C / 98 F. For the most part it will continue like this until November. August and September are the hottest and the driest months of the year. Tomorrow I am going up to the northern hemishpere on the other side of the equater into the rainy season where it is wetter and somewhat cooler. dk DK: Very interesting about climate near the equator. It makes sense, that it would be hottest when it's driest. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ariscott 49 Report post Posted August 20, 2008 I didn't realise ... Singapore is on the other side of the equator... . Not that I notice wind direction... Regards, Ari Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 20, 2008 Ari, Singapore is 1 degree north approx. You are already descending over Indonesia when you cross the equator on approach to Singapore from the south. The equator is like 15-20 mins before you land. I've got plenty of useless information like that. Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amazondk 92 Report post Posted August 20, 2008 Tyrone, I love useless information. Maybe because I have so much of it as well. Anyway the differences between Manaus and Boa Vista are intersting. Both cities are nearly the same distance from the equator. Boa Vista is a little higher elevation 85 Meters vs 25 Meters above sea level for Manaus. But, that does not make a big difference in the climate. It also rains a bit more in Manaus. Boa Vista has an average of 1900 mm per year of rain and Manaus an average of 2500 mm per year. There is more wind here than in Manaus. During the dry seaon there is normally a nice breeze, sort of trade wind like. Where in Manaus there is either no wind or a slight breeze. Maybe the fact that there are mountains around Boa Vista accounts for this distance. As both cities are out of the trade wind zone. Thanks for the information Tyrone dk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 21, 2008 Interesting Don. The less rainfall in Boa Vista could be something to do with rain shadows from the nearby mountains. That would definitely account for the more windiness there, due to the temperature differential the mountains create. The wind would change direction between night and day one would think. Sunup and sundown would be the calmest then? The sun heats the mountain air up sending it higher, whereas ocean air is cooler and comes in behind it. At night the mountain air cools and comes rushing back down to the ocean again. It's cool and windy here. Not many clouds because there's a giant high to the south of me at 1046hP. The easterly winds are cool dry and at times severe. Planes have been crossing low over my property as when there's an east wind blowing they mostly approach the smaller east-west runway. I was pruning my bamboo and watching 747's coming at me. Kind of scary if you think too much about it. I should have taken some pics. Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ariscott 49 Report post Posted August 21, 2008 Ari, Singapore is 1 degree north approx. You are already descending over Indonesia when you cross the equator on approach to Singapore from the south. The equator is like 15-20 mins before you land. I've got plenty of useless information like that. Best regards Tyrone Useless information is not so useless... when you are talking to the right people BTW, it is heating up now... Last night was 20 deg C. It won't be long before we have over 20's overnight and over 30 deg days. Apparently the build up is just around the corner. Mark my word... I would be complaining that it is simply TOO HOT!! Can't win, really.... Regards, Ari Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steve 2 Report post Posted August 21, 2008 We've had good weather here in the Atlanta area for doing things outside. It's been warm and dry. Unfortunately, our drought continues to worsen though. We are about 4-5" short of our normal rainfall total for August. It's been slowly worsening for several years now. The largest water resovoir in the state continues to be at record low levels for this time of year. It doesn't look like we'll be getting a visit from the remnants of Faye, so there is really no end in sight to the drought as we approach Fall, which is our dryest season here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 21, 2008 Ari, Singapore is 1 degree north approx. You are already descending over Indonesia when you cross the equator on approach to Singapore from the south. The equator is like 15-20 mins before you land. I've got plenty of useless information like that. Best regards Tyrone Useless information is not so useless... when you are talking to the right people BTW, it is heating up now... Last night was 20 deg C. It won't be long before we have over 20's overnight and over 30 deg days. Apparently the build up is just around the corner. Mark my word... I would be complaining that it is simply TOO HOT!! Can't win, really.... Regards, Ari Ari, I hope the build up is just around the corner. Then the north easterlies we've been having may have some decent heat in them. The wind has been freezing over here, and dry. Warm and dry is fine, but cold and dry is annoying. If you try and use the sprayers to bring the humidity up, the temp plummets even further. Stupid weather. Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daryl 1,802 Report post Posted August 22, 2008 We had a spring type of day here...maybe we have turned the corner at last! Especially after our record cool spell. Today it was a humid 25C after an overnight low of 14C and then we had an afternoon storm to wet things down. Bring on the spring! Daryl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 22, 2008 Beautiful weather Daryl. I hope spring is around the corner, for all of our sakes. So far this August has been an imposter month. We never have weather like this. Cold and dry. We're averaging 5.5C min and approx 20C max, with 26mm of rain with almost no more forecast. Our average is 130mm, and 9C-19C for August. Some prevailing warm NW's would be beautiful and tropical. If spring consisted of lots of NW's it would be fantastic. Stupid cold dry easterlies. Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Walter John 220 Report post Posted August 22, 2008 nope, no spring, bloody cold again today this time with cold winds Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ariscott 49 Report post Posted August 22, 2008 I think it has turned the corner at last... We are expecting overnight low of 20 and above. Hopefully we can have an early start to the wet like last year. Can't wait!! I am sick and tired of this dry weather. I miss rain!! There is more fluffy thing on the sky, which is a nice change from blue sky and dry wind... (I hope I am not speaking too soon ) Regards, Ari Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 23, 2008 nope, no spring, bloody cold again today this time with cold winds Wal, I was looking at the synoptics after reading Daryl's post. Yesterday you had sort of northerly wind action, and cloud from a cut off low that created the rain. It bunched up the warm weather ahead of it. Trouble is there is always a colder drier blast behind it. Spring's just around the corner, and you'll get it sooner than most. I'm sick of the cold dry here. Trouble is, generally the warmer we get, the drier we get. It's a bit hard to get drier than August this year though. We've had a sub-tropical winter if you look at rainfall alone and amount of sunshine. Maybe, just maybe we'll get a wet humid summer. We nearly did last year. Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff Searle 1,207 Report post Posted August 24, 2008 As I just posted over in the sub-forum regarding Tropical Storm Faye, I recieved another 8' of rain today. The storm is still pulling lots of moisture up from the south of us. Jeff Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 25, 2008 I think the northern hemisphere has stolen our rains. We're still only 26mm for August vs the average around 135mm. We were meant to get rain this morning, but I woke up to blue skies and temps around 5C. At least the sun is out, and it's not windy. The wind was driving me nuts. The flying ants were out again yesterday, and I'm finding the green palm caterpillars are already out stitching my Howea leaves together. I threw a big one into the pond yesterday. Everything is thinking spring is here. I wish the night temps would think so too. Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Keith 773 Report post Posted August 25, 2008 We have gotten light rains most of the day, but for the last few hours Tropical Storm Fay has drenched us. I am guessing 4 to 6 inches of rain in the last 3 hours as one of the middle bands is circulating through. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amazondk 92 Report post Posted August 25, 2008 A strong thunder storm hit this afternoon and dumped a lof of water. I have no idea how much, but it really came down for a while. I think that the storm dropped the temperature from around 35 C / 95 F to 24 C / 75 F in a very short time period. dk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 26, 2008 Rain forecast to come in from the north tomorrow in a trough line. It's strange at this time of year to get rain which is not related to a cold front coming down from the north. Maybe a sign of a moist summer. That sort of rain is really nice because it involves warm moist air and not much wind at all. The trough is forecast to walk across the entire continent and be over Brisbane by Monday, dropping rain all the way across the centre. Nice. Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ariscott 49 Report post Posted August 26, 2008 You would love to hear, Tyrone, that the weather has certainly turned this week. This morning we went to work in 25 deg C (going up by 8 deg compared to 3 days ago) and last night we had 70% humidity. I know it would be a killer for people... it is time to clean the A/C filter and fans for the build up. Regards, Ari Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 26, 2008 You would love to hear, Tyrone, that the weather has certainly turned this week. This morning we went to work in 25 deg C (going up by 8 deg compared to 3 days ago) and last night we had 70% humidity. I know it would be a killer for people... it is time to clean the A/C filter and fans for the build up. Regards, Ari That's great Ari. Come on spring. I wonder if we'll get much rain out of this trough tomorrow. Pretty weird stuff this early on. The ants are going crazy. They tend to know when things are up. Maybe a bit more than the 1mm there forecasting. I think spring/summer/autumn may be interesting and a little unpredictable this coming year. Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daryl 1,802 Report post Posted August 27, 2008 I reckon we've turned the corner here too. There were a few Cicadas chirping today. That is always a good sign! Daryl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
philinsydney 243 Report post Posted August 27, 2008 It's been the coldest August for some years. One day last week was only 12c; apparently the coldest day for 6 years I believe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 27, 2008 Got to 24C today. Clouds are forming. Maybe we'll get it, maybe we'll miss out. The trough is sort of over us at the moment but the rain is east. If it keeps going east it's goodbye to any chance of rain. Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ariscott 49 Report post Posted August 27, 2008 It starts raining inland this week. Amazing stuff... Hopefully Darwin force field will let some in for us.. Regards, Ari Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daryl 1,802 Report post Posted August 27, 2008 No chance Ari... That force field is pretty stubborn. I remember when I lived there, Darwin was still small enough that when the first rains came after the dry season, everyone used to toot their car horns and dance in the street...quite a sight! Daryl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ariscott 49 Report post Posted August 27, 2008 It is not so bad where we are... usually the rain stops right on top of us. So, we still get a bit. Town is a different story though.. I wish I was on the other side of the highway, they definitely get more rain. Regards. Ari Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aussiearoids 371 Report post Posted August 27, 2008 Finally got a little rain ,, the 3 week drought has broken ... now starts the long hot dry spring .. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RainForestt Robert 84 Report post Posted August 27, 2008 We had a mini storm here over the weekend and had 30 inches of rain in 3 hours. That was the most intense rainfall in recent memory. Low lying areas were definitely flooded out! The rain causes the palms to grow at a pretty decent rate. Weeds grow insanely!! Robert Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SubTropicRay 179 Report post Posted August 27, 2008 Fay brought almost no rain and the last few days have been hot and dry. August will end up with below normal rainfall here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 28, 2008 Didn't get any rain lastnight, but there is a line of rain/thunderstorm cells off of the coast. I wonder if they'll just diminish the closer they get to shore. Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Keith 773 Report post Posted August 28, 2008 We didn't get any rain, but for once this is a good thing, with a hurricane knocking on the door. Go into a hurricane with saturated soils and trees go down at the roots. Go into one in a dry period and trees and branches snap. Hit it just right you get the best you can expect. At that point it is all up to the strength of the storm. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ariscott 49 Report post Posted August 28, 2008 Finally got a little rain ,, the 3 week drought has broken ... now starts the long hot dry spring .. Don't you get afternoon showers occassionally this time of year? We don't call it spring up here.... The build up is more appropriate... for the weather and the people Regards, Ari Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Case 173 Report post Posted August 28, 2008 We are in what is said to be the last day of a short heat wave here. Today's prediction for my area is from 104F to 108F, dry (exceptionally dry, even for here) with a drying North wind. Expectations for the next few days....100F Friday......89F Saturday.....85F Sunday........90F Monday Lots of water needed around here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 29, 2008 Well, we got 1.2mm of rain this morning. Not much, but I'm thankful for even small mercies. This morning was a beautiful wet 80% humidity morning with the sun out. The clouds have already cleared off. The smell of moist earth and eucalyptus with parrots and birds chirping and carrying on, with the suns rays warming the earth. Not bad. Sure beats the dry cold mornings we've been having. It was 12C this morning. Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Palm Nut 583 Report post Posted August 29, 2008 The weather here is still quite cold with highs today at 18C mostly cloudy with night temps around 10C. I havent had the heater on for my lipstick for the last 3 days but it is still in the portable hot house so day temps would reach close to low to mid 20C. Looks like next winter it will need to fend for itself as I will not use the heater again. Iam going solar. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 29, 2008 The weather here is still quite cold with highs today at 18C mostly cloudy with night temps around 10C. I havent had the heater on for my lipstick for the last 3 days but it is still in the portable hot house so day temps would reach close to low to mid 20C. Looks like next winter it will need to fend for itself as I will not use the heater again. Iam going solar. Mike You're warmer at night than me. You're going solar? Is it goodbye coconut, redneck, and foxtail, and betelnut? Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Palm Nut 583 Report post Posted August 29, 2008 Hi Tyrone, its been cloudy so the nights have been higher, I expect that we will get some cooler nights but the days are warming up and longer. I have no plans on removing any palms and in any case I will not remove my Coconut and Betelnut which will mean less effective solar power during winter, that is my red line. Because I have so many palms so close to the house, over time this will become more of an issue and I will need to cull some of them, but I will keep the most valued. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 2,760 Report post Posted August 29, 2008 I'm glad you're not getting rid of your coconut and Betel Nut. Do you think your lipstick will survive no extra heat???? Best regards Tyrone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
