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Southern Hemisphere Summer


Tyrone

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Wow, we are getting severely wet here. The rain intensity has increased heaps. I think our drought has broken!

Although we haven't had as much, this is nearby...not a bad start to 2008.

Jan1   180mm

Jan2   66mm

Jan3   62mm

Jan4   481mm

Total so far for 2008 =  789mm = 31 inches

My creek is a raging torrent...too noisy to talk over.

Daryl

Gold Coast, Queensland Latitude 28S. Mild, Humid Subtropical climate. Rainfall - not consistent enough!

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Daryl, I'm glad you guys are getting rain even although you probably want it to stop. I remember you posting pics of your crispy dead lawn a year ago. Completely different this year I bet.

Ari, I hope you're OK and Helen doesn't pay you a close visit. I've looked at the BOM and it has Helen moving to your south and weakening over land. Hopefully it won't get too blowy, and you just get a good lot of rain, but not too much. By the sounds of it, it will weaken quickly while it travels over land and flops into the gulf where it will certainly re-intensify, but by then it won't be your concern. It will probably be a problem for Weipa by then.

Best regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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(Daryl @ Jan. 04 2008,07:42)

QUOTE
Wow, we are getting severely wet here. The rain intensity has increased heaps. I think our drought has broken!

Although we haven't had as much, this is nearby...not a bad start to 2008.

Jan1   180mm

Jan2   66mm

Jan3   62mm

Jan4   481mm

Total so far for 2008 =  789mm = 31 inches

My creek is a raging torrent...too noisy to talk over.

Daryl

Holy crap!!

SoCal and SoFla; zone varies by location.

'Home is where the heart suitcase is'...

_____

"If, as they say, there truly is no rest for the wicked, how can the Devil's workshop be filled with idle hands?"

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Melbourne's had three days over 40°C (104°F) in the last 6 days.

Highest of 41.2°C (106.2°F) with 8% (8%) humidity.

36.1°C today and 37°C (97°F and 99°F) forecast for tomorrow.

Overnight low for NYE was 28°C. (82.4°F)

Put this with Stage 3a water restrictions and I am not a happy camper.

Cheers,

Adam

upmelbavatar.jpg

Melbourne, Australia.

Temps range from -1C to 46C. Strange Climate.

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(Adam from Oz @ Jan. 04 2008,11:19)

QUOTE
Melbourne's had three days over 40°C (104°F) in the last 6 days.

Highest of 41.2°C (106.2°F) with 8% (8%) humidity.

36.1°C today and 37°C (97°F and 99°F) forecast for tomorrow.

Overnight low for NYE was 28°C. (82.4°F)

Put this with Stage 3a water restrictions and I am not a happy camper.

Cheers,

Adam

I feel your pain Adam. I hope you get some rain and humidity soon.

After a hot low humidity event, do you get a couple of days of high humidity? Just wondeing, as that is the pattern here in Perth. Yesterday we had a min of 22C with very high humidity, and a max of 30C but with dewpoints around 17-19C for much of the day. It was a beautiful change from the oven we've been living in for a while.

Best regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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Ari, I hope everything is well with you and Helen. I just saw that it is now a Cat 1 about 85km south of you, but you will be experiencing gales according to the report. Hopefully it will weaken a bit more as it travels across land.

Best regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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Everything is over.. at least for now. Cat 2 cyclone past through 40km south of us. The wind was unbelievable. Scott and I could hardly sleep. Anyway, I was too nervous to wake up and see the garden this morning, but so far so good. I haven't done full inspection yet, but everything is good so far, except my Erythrina variegata got a bit of pruning  :( .

But all the shade structure were still up. So, definitely not as bad as Ingrid last time we were in Gove. It was a category 4 though.

Tyrone,

We are not in Darwin city, so Helen passed a lot closer than Darwin. But hey, it could be worse.

Now, if only it doesn't come back after crossing to Gulf of Carpentaria.. then all will be well, until the next low is developed.

Thank you for thinking of me...

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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Ari,

I am glad that the storm was not worse.   I lived quite a few years on Southern Florida and these events are never pleasant.  Here in Amazonia the rain continues in our part of the Southern Hemisphere.  We call the summer our winter as it is the rainy season and hotest months are the driest which are August through October, which is known locally as summer.  The state university here in Amazonas now has a weather forecast service which I have attached here.  It is in Portuguese, but the numbers and the items should be easy to understand.  Our rainfall average is from 2500 to 3000 mm per year here and we are in one of the rainiest months now.  The La nina event increases rain in our area normally.  Which has been happening this year.  This also also the rainy seaon in Southern Brazil, but there it is also the hottest.  Fortnunately here we are too far from the ocean for cyclones.  Plus within 5 degrees of the equator they really can not do much.  

As you can see the forecast is for moisture.  Chuva means rain.

Sexta4Jan.jpg

Don Kittelson

 

LIFE ON THE RIO NEGRO

03° 06' 07'' South 60° 01' 30'' West

Altitude 92 Meters / 308 feet above sea level

1,500 kms / 932 miles to the mouth of the Amazon River

 

Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil - A Cidade da Floresta

Where the world´s largest Tropical Rainforest embraces the Greatest Rivers in the World. .

82331.gif

 

Click here to visit Amazonas

amazonas2.jpg

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Don,

Being 5 deg south of equator, it makes you similar to Java (where I am originally from). Being so close to equator, it is not ideal condition for cyclone to form.

Here in Darwin, we are dry monsoon tropics, where we have dry and wet season. The wet season starts around December to May where we have monsoonal rain and of course cyclone. The dry season starts in June to August where is nice and cool (less than 30deg C during the day and 15deg C during the night - 8 deg for rural area) but hardly any rain at all. In between we have build up, where is the hottest time of the year (Sept to Dec), but usually we have convection rain in the afternoon with good storms (lightning, wind, the works).

Our rainfall is around 2000-2400mm a year. This wet season apparently is going to be a good one.

I should be used to cyclone, being in one cat. 4 before this one in Gove, NT. Darwin has not had its share of cyclone for a few years now. I think the closest one would be cyclone Thelma (1998) . with the rest, Darwin has always been spared, so I guess it is about time... Just unfortunate for me, getting 2 cyclones in the last 3 years :(.

Anyway, all is well, can't complain. Sorry, it is a bit long... I love talking weather. BTW, I can't open your attachment.

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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Glad to hear that you're OK Ari, and not much damage was done.

Our winter/spring storms can whip up gales into the 100kph region and my garden looks terrible from all the fallen branches, so I can only imagine what a cyclone would do.

I was looking at the BOM the other day about Perth cyclones, and although rare, we're meant to get cyclonic activity come close once every 7yrs or so. We haven't had a real cyclonic event cause damage of any note since 1978 so we are long overdue for it. The chances are greater in a La Nina year. Perth has been directly hit before, but never with anything more than a category 3. I remember the 1978 Cyclone Alby. I was only 4 yrs old and mum and dad came running inside covered in red mud. It actually rained mud and made everything red. After that I was aware of what these cyclones were, and became rather scared of them as a kid. I remember the sky going totally dark like twilight in the middle of the day, as the thunder and lightning moved in with the gusty wind, and being too young to really understand it, used to get quite anxious.

Daryl, Are you OK with all of the flooding over your way?

Best regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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Bloody Hell, Ari!

Hang in there. Looks like it's now going to whack western QLD.

Down here it's still hot - 30C at 12:15 am after 38C today.

A wind change is coming - tomorrow only 24C but Tyrone, the problem we're having in Melbourne is just that. Another dry change.

In a "normal" summer, tomorrow would be wet, not sunny.

Cheers,

Adam

upmelbavatar.jpg

Melbourne, Australia.

Temps range from -1C to 46C. Strange Climate.

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(Tyrone @ Jan. 05 2008,21:37)

QUOTE
Daryl, Are you OK with all of the flooding over your way?

Best regards

Tyrone

Tyrone, yeah we had a very wet night. I got 180mm in my gauge overnight. Springbrook got 360mm (14.5 inches)

My creek broke it's banks and flooded, but did not reach t he levels of 2 years ago.

A large 15 metre tall Casuarina fell over from the weight of the water (we had no wind), so  that is my work for tomorrow ...

There is local flooding in our creeks but nothing bad.

Our dam level went from 60% full to 99.9% full...it went up almost 8 metres over the last couple of days. It will be trickling over the spillway by morning.

Unfortunately Brisbane did not get anywhere near as much rain, and their dams are still only at 20% capacity so restrictions will still be severe for us. At least the garden won't need watering for  a while!

Looks like we will be in for some more rain very shortly...

Ari, I'm glad to hear that Helen didn't do too much damage! It came very close to you guys.

regards,

Daryl

Gold Coast, Queensland Latitude 28S. Mild, Humid Subtropical climate. Rainfall - not consistent enough!

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Tyrone,

We are lucky in a way that both cyclone we had were both came around 2am, so we only got to see silhouette of coconut and palm trees going horisontal and bouncing back again. During the day, it would be even scarier.

Daryl,

Good to see Gold Coast got some good decent rain. Do you have rainwater tanks in your property? I know a friend of mine in Brisbane has 4 water tank (5000-10,000L tank each) and he is basically self sufficient with his garden. His is around 1 acre.

Yes, Helen definitely went a bit close... 20km closer, and we would be in the edge of the eye.

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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(ariscott @ Jan. 05 2008,17:56)

QUOTE
Yes, Helen definitely went a bit close... 20km closer, and we would be in the edge of the eye.

Regards, Ari :)

That's a bit too close Ari. Scary stuff.

You said you are a few km's south of Darwin. The winter min's drop down quite a bit the further you go south I've noticed.  What do you get down too as an absolute min in winter? Just wondering.

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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Tyrone,

8 deg C last dry season (at night). Plant don't mind, but they don't grow much during the dry. I mulch heavily during because of the dry wind that we get. It is pretty pleasant for us though, that is why we usually get tourists that time of year  :angry: .

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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Ari,

I found these climate graphs which show the yearly variations in temperature, percipitation, humidity, and sunlight hours.  When looking at the Darwin graph it is clear just how sharp a swing your dry season is when compared to ours here.  My latititude is 3.08 South.  Our altitude is only 72 m over sea level, which compared to 31 m for Darwin.  Considering that Manaus is over 2,000 kms from the ocean you can get an idea of just how little the Amazon River drops over it's journey from here to the Atlantic.  You have a real strong dry season whereas ours can go for a month with no or little rain, but this is extremely rare.  The hottest part of the year here is also the coolest there.  But, at our latitude this should be normal as the lack of rain is what brings the temperatures up.  We do not get any large storms, but there are some very violent local events which at times even level some pretty good sized parcels of forest, say 50 to 100 hectares at a shot.  It is always interesting I think to compare climates around the world.  It is one of the great things about our planet.

dk

Darwinclim.jpg

ManausClimatedata.jpg

Don Kittelson

 

LIFE ON THE RIO NEGRO

03° 06' 07'' South 60° 01' 30'' West

Altitude 92 Meters / 308 feet above sea level

1,500 kms / 932 miles to the mouth of the Amazon River

 

Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil - A Cidade da Floresta

Where the world´s largest Tropical Rainforest embraces the Greatest Rivers in the World. .

82331.gif

 

Click here to visit Amazonas

amazonas2.jpg

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Don--

Thanks for those graphs. Where did you find them, or did you compile the info yourself? Are ones available for other cities as well?

Thinking about moving out of the US someday, maybe sooner than later, maybe to Oz (??). Trying to learn a little more about other areas' climates, among other things.

Ken.

SoCal and SoFla; zone varies by location.

'Home is where the heart suitcase is'...

_____

"If, as they say, there truly is no rest for the wicked, how can the Devil's workshop be filled with idle hands?"

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Ken,

I found them here - Climate Charts .  Most cities in the world are in the data base. Some have more information than others.  They are pretty interesting I think.  It is great to compare places visually.

dk

Don Kittelson

 

LIFE ON THE RIO NEGRO

03° 06' 07'' South 60° 01' 30'' West

Altitude 92 Meters / 308 feet above sea level

1,500 kms / 932 miles to the mouth of the Amazon River

 

Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil - A Cidade da Floresta

Where the world´s largest Tropical Rainforest embraces the Greatest Rivers in the World. .

82331.gif

 

Click here to visit Amazonas

amazonas2.jpg

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Thanks Don--

If I'd have had my coffee first, I'd have seen the website logo there...

SoCal and SoFla; zone varies by location.

'Home is where the heart suitcase is'...

_____

"If, as they say, there truly is no rest for the wicked, how can the Devil's workshop be filled with idle hands?"

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I would love to have your rain in the dry season, Don. We lost our pioneer trees and palms due to lack of water during last dry. We hardly had any wet season last time though... I think we had the whole rainfall in 1 month. Not enough for the plants even natives to grow. Hence, they suffered badly in the dry. We haven't set up the irrigation by then.

Now, we are ready as Scott put all the irrigation from our bore. Hopefully we won't loose anything else. Now, if only we can get rid of termites  :angry:

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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Here's my climate info from Don's featured website. I was looking for Perth but it wasn't there. To my surprise it had my suburbs climate info which appears to be quite accurate.

Here it is.

http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/a/...0000090210.html

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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Just doing some looking around and Majunga and Nossi Be in madagscar look identical in climate to Darwin. They are at similar lat as well.

Majunga.

http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/m/MG67027.html

Nossi Be.

http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/m/MG67012.html

Darwin.

http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/a/...0000140150.html

regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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Interesting, Tyrone.. I wonder what grows there? No wonder some dypsis grow very well here.

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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(ariscott @ Jan. 08 2008,09:44)

QUOTE
Interesting, Tyrone.. I wonder what grows there? No wonder some dypsis grow very well here.

Regards, Ari :)

Hi Ari,

I think that Dypsis madagascariensis grows up there, and the robust mahajanga version comes from there. I know others come from there but I'd need to do a bit of research.

regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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Hi Ari, I heard that Darwin got some thunderstorms last night and 240mm of rain. Hope there is not too much flooding nearby!

Daryl

Gold Coast, Queensland Latitude 28S. Mild, Humid Subtropical climate. Rainfall - not consistent enough!

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No... no flooding here. It is only in town that got hammered. It is not enough that it had very heavy downpour, the lightning was unbelievable!!!  I think there were a few lightning in a second. I did have the data, but not sure what I did with it..

Darwinians are used to very wicked thunderstorm, but that night was very impressive. I reckoned it was better than cyclone Helen.

Didn't get as much as town, only get 40mm here. But, not complaining. Although it would be good to have the dam filled.

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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Well send some rain down here Ari,  my garden has fried.

chris.oz

Bayside Melbourne 38 deg S. Winter Minimum 0 C over past 6 years

Yippee, the drought is over.

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We have tried, Chris, but it only went as far south as Gold Coast... :).

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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I wish we had some flooding rain. 100mm in a night would be great. It's just blue skies and highs in the 30's here.

regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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That is probably why we don't live there, Tyrone. There were a lot of job offer from WA (my other half is an engineer), but we just couldn't. He loves his tropicals, and the water restriction and also the cold in WA aren't very appealing.

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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(Tyrone @ Jan. 15 2008,11:08)

QUOTE
I wish we had some flooding rain. 100mm in a night would be great. It's just blue skies and highs in the 30's here.

regards

Tyrone

Tyrone,

No floods here, but still plenty of rain. I can't remember the last time I didn't water my potted palms for more than 4 weeks!

It has been warm (30C) and humid here, not hot or dry but perfect palm weather, as the mysterious Greenleaf said.

This was the humidity last night, with an inch of rain in my gauge at home.

Daryl

post-42-1200399451_thumb.jpg

Gold Coast, Queensland Latitude 28S. Mild, Humid Subtropical climate. Rainfall - not consistent enough!

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Ahhh, they're great figures Daryl. A bit hard to compete with those humidity figures. Even a hothouse would find that hard to follow.

Ari, anywhere in Oz is going to be cooler than Darwin. You can still grow tropicals in Perth, just you can grow more tropicals and faster in Darwin. Although we're on water restrictions, they are nothing like the eastern states. My garden has not gone dry at all, and things are growing very fast now. We're averaging 32C max so far for Jan, so plenty of heat. However I would kill for Darwin's climate. Perfect palm climate in Darwin. But to be honest I can grow Rhopalostylis, and Hedyscepe, Ceroxylon and Oraniopsis which would suffer in Darwin. I suppose it's impossible to have everything. :)

regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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Here's the forecast for Perth for the next few days. Just starting to border on too hot. A thunderstorm here or there would do. Should be nice and humid on Friday with only a 6C difference between max and min, but rain would be even better.

Perth Forecast

Issued at 4:50 am WDT on Wednesday 16 January 2008

Warning summary

Fire Weather Warning for the Hills.

Forecast for Wednesday

Fine. Fresh to strong and gusty E/SE winds easing in the afternoon before a late

coastal sea breeze.

Precis:      Fine, windy.                      

City:        Max 36

Mandurah:    Max 33

UV Index:    13 [Extreme] UV Alert from  9:20 to 17:40  

Fire Danger: Coastal Plain: VERY HIGH

            Hills:         EXTREME

Thursday     Fine. Very hot.                        Min 23     Max 39

Friday       Fine. Humid change.                    Min 25     Max 31

Saturday     Fine.                                  Min 19     Max 34

Sunday       Fine.                                  Min 18     Max 34

Monday       Fine.                                  Min 21     Max 35

Tuesday      Fine. Partly cloudy.                   Min 25     Max 38

regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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Darwin is not hot, just humid. Brisbane can actually get hotter in summer than Darwin, since we don't get 40 deg days. It just feels hotter because of the humidity, which tropical plants absolutely love.

Northern QLD is probably better than here, more rain and better soil. But, Darwin is a compromise... lots of work and tropical in nature. Also, the layback lifestyle is great too, also very multicultural (in a true sense). That is why we stayed.

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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(ariscott @ Jan. 16 2008,21:24)

QUOTE
Darwin is not hot, just humid. Brisbane can actually get hotter in summer than Darwin, since we don't get 40 deg days. It just feels hotter because of the humidity, which tropical plants absolutely love.

Northern QLD is probably better than here, more rain and better soil. But, Darwin is a compromise... lots of work and tropical in nature. Also, the layback lifestyle is great too, also very multicultural (in a true sense). That is why we stayed.

Regards, Ari :)

I dunno Ari, you can't get more cultured than being with the pacsoa aussie ratpack. In fact we were thinking about opening up our own cultural centre. You'd have the Col Wilson way as the entrance road with the sound of ELO echoing off large fan leaves of giant Corypha palms. Rob would meet you at the door, there's a culture shock for you there and then, take a walk to the Wal Wing where palm quilting exhibitions and Wal's hawaiian shirt collection are displayed. Ah,.......... I could go on.  

Geez, all this on two cans of Guinness

Happy Gardening

Cheers,

Wal

Queensland, Australia.

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Some one from darwin sent this to me as a joke [not Ari] , but so much of it is true .. I thought I would share it with you all.

The cyclone season

We're about to enter the cyclone season.

Any day now, you're going to turn on the TV and see a weather person pointing to some radar blob out in the Arafura Sea and making two basic meteorological points:

(1) There is no need to panic.

(2) We could all be killed.

Yes, cyclone season is an exciting time to be in Darwin.

If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one." Based on our experiences, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step cyclone preparedness plan:

STEP 1: Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days.

STEP 2: Put these supplies into your car.

STEP 3: Drive to Adelaide and remain there until Easter.

Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this sensible plan.

Most people will foolishly stay here in Darwin.

We'll start with one of the most important cyclone preparedness items:

HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE:

If you own a home, you must have cyclone insurance.

Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements:

(1) It is reasonably well-built, and

(2) It is located in Adelaide.

Unfortunately, if your home is located in Darwin, or any other area that might actually be hit by a cyclone, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you cyclone insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place.

So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house.

At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss.

Since Cyclone Tracey, I have had an estimated 27 different home-insurance companies.

This week, I'm covered by the Bob and Big Stan Insurance Company, under a policy which states that, in addition to my premium, Bob and Big Stan are entitled, on demand, to my kidneys.

SHUTTERS:

Your house should have cyclone shutters on all the windows, all the doors, and -- if it's a major cyclone -- all the toilets. There are several types of shutters, with advantages and disadvantages:

Plywood shutters:

The advantage is that, because you make them yourself, they're cheap.

The disadvantage is that, because you make them yourself, they will fall off.

Sheet-metal shutters:

The advantage is that these work well, once you get them all up.

The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will be May.

Roll-down shutters:

The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and will definitely protect your house.

The disadvantage is that you will have to sell your house to pay for them.

Cyclone-proof windows:

These are the newest wrinkle in cyclone protection: They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand cyclone winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so.

He lives in Adelaide.

Cyclone Proofing your property:

As the cyclone approaches, check your yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture, visiting relatives, etc.... You should, as a precaution, throw these items into your swimming pool (if you don't have a swimming pool, you should have one built immediately). Otherwise, the cyclone winds will turn these objects into deadly missiles.

EVACUATION ROUTE:

If you live in a low-lying area, you should have an evacuation route planned out.

(To determine whether you live in a low-lying area, look at your driver's license; if it says "Darwin," you live in a low-lying area).

The purpose of having an evacuation route is to avoid being trapped in your home when a major storm hits. Instead, you will be trapped in a gigantic traffic jam several miles from your home, along with all the other evacuees. So, as a bonus, you will not be lonely.

CYCLONE SUPPLIES:

If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies.

Do not buy them now!

Darwin tradition requires that you wait until the last possible minute, then go to the supermarket and get into vicious fights with strangers over who gets the last can of SPAM.

In addition to food and water, you will need the following supplies:

1. 23 flashlights. At least $167 worth of batteries that turn out, when the power goes off, to be the wrong size for the flashlights.

2. Bleach. (No, I don't know what the bleach is for. NOBODY knows what the bleach is for, but it's traditional, so get some!)

3. 55 gallon drum of underarm deodorant.

4. A big knife that you can strap to your leg. (This will be useless in a cyclone, but it looks cool.)

5. A large quantity of raw chicken, to placate the crocodiles. (Ask anybody who went through Tracey; after the cyclone, there WILL be irate crocodiles.)

6. $35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the cyclone passes, you can buy a generator from a man with no discernible teeth.

Of course these are just basic precautions. As the cyclone draws near, it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning on your television and watching TV reporters in rain slickers stand right next to the ocean and tell you over and over how vitally important it is for everybody to stay away from the ocean.

Good luck, and remember: It's great living in Paradise.

Michael in palm paradise,

Tully, wet tropics in Australia, over 4 meters of rain every year.

Home of the Golden Gumboot, its over 8m high , our record annual rainfall.

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OK, not initials, I am rolling on the floor laughing my ass off, but in a sick way.  I live on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, aka Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Man, can I identify with your post in all of the wrong ways.    All I had to do was change a few cities names and we are there.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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Michael, that's hilarious, but not if you're about to go through a cyclone. Not hilarious then.

It got to 42C today. I can't remember being over 40 so many times in a summer. Clouds are rolling in now, but no rain of course. I've been out watering everything down so humidity is sky high in the garden now. Everything seems to be loving it though. My bangalows have put out 4 new inflorescences in the last fortnight. Hydriastele wendlandianna is opening new spears fast. Foxtails and spindles are all leaping for joy. The coconut is growing at about 2cm a day now.

Here's the forecast now.

Forecast for Thursday  evening

Fine with humidity increasing. W/SW winds.

Precis:      Becoming humid.                    

Forecast for Friday  

Fine. Cloudy at first in the morning. Light to moderate W/SW winds, freshening

S/SW'ly late in the day.

Precis:      Fine, partly cloudy.              

City:        Min 21     Max 30

Mandurah:    Min 21     Max 28

UV Index:    13 [Extreme] UV Alert from  9:20 to 17:40  

Fire Danger: Coastal Plain: HIGH    

            Hills:         HIGH    

Saturday     Fine.                                  Min 19     Max 32

Sunday       Fine.                                  Min 18     Max 32

Monday       Fine.                                  Min 18     Max 32

Tuesday      Fine.                                  Min 18     Max 33

Wednesday    Fine.                                  Min 21     Max 36

Thursday     Fine.                                  Min 22     Max 38

Nothing below a humid 30C until Thursday.

regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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Cyclone is fun as long as it is nowhere near you....

I have 2 under my belt now... Hopefully that is it for the year.

Regards, Ari :)

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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(ariscott @ Jan. 17 2008,04:33)

QUOTE
Cyclone is fun as long as it is nowhere near you....

I have 2 under my belt now... Hopefully that is it for the year.

Regards, Ari :)

No it's not fun when a cyclone comes through even for those nowhere near it. I for my part was concerned for you when Helen went through and I think many others were too. Things like that are not funny when peoples lives are involved.

Best regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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