Autumn/Spring that time again

[happ]

Happ, our weather patterns are getting a bit closer together now. Today is cloudy with a lot of cirrus off the Indian Ocean after the cold fronts have all gone through south of the west coast missing any rainfall for us. The min was 11.1C and we're going for 26C today. About 25C around noon. The cloud is annoying me as I've just had solar panels installed and I've been watching the readout on the inverter to see what the output is peaking at. It's a 1.5kW setup but so far has peaked just shy of 1.1kW due to the cloud. I can't wait for a clear day to check it out.

Best regards

Tyrone

Yes, Tyrone, our two regions have quite similar climates. The first significant storm fronts of late autumn often wash out before reaching southern California just like what you are currently experiencing in Western Australia. And by April the storm fronts weaken considerably and often do not hold together before reaching this latitude. I suspect Western Australia gets more summer thunderstorms or weak tropical systems off the Indian ocean than what is common in California, right? Your summer ocean temps are warmer than what is observed off the California coast.

This week has been somewhat boring with a trough over the state and weak storms moving ashore over northern California. Down in southern California lots of clouds that manage to burn off in the afternoon and cool onshore breezes but no rain.

Hi: 71F\ 21.6C

Lo: 56F\ 13.3C

[Ntheastpalms]

Glorious Autumn weather here for the last three days, 25 deg C of a day & 14 deg C overnight.

Even went to our local beach for a swim & caught a couple of crayfish for dinner.

[Tyrone]

Happ, our weather patterns are getting a bit closer together now. Today is cloudy with a lot of cirrus off the Indian Ocean after the cold fronts have all gone through south of the west coast missing any rainfall for us. The min was 11.1C and we're going for 26C today. About 25C around noon. The cloud is annoying me as I've just had solar panels installed and I've been watching the readout on the inverter to see what the output is peaking at. It's a 1.5kW setup but so far has peaked just shy of 1.1kW due to the cloud. I can't wait for a clear day to check it out.

Best regards

Tyrone

Yes, Tyrone, our two regions have quite similar climates. The first significant storm fronts of late autumn often wash out before reaching southern California just like what you are currently experiencing in Western Australia. And by April the storm fronts weaken considerably and often do not hold together before reaching this latitude. I suspect Western Australia gets more summer thunderstorms or weak tropical systems off the Indian ocean than what is common in California, right? Your summer ocean temps are warmer than what is observed off the California coast.

This week has been somewhat boring with a trough over the state and weak storms moving ashore over northern California. Down in southern California lots of clouds that manage to burn off in the afternoon and cool onshore breezes but no rain.

Hi: 71F\ 21.6C

Lo: 56F\ 13.3C

The first cold fronts got through to Perth over the weekend. But it's still been warm. Low Thirties to high twenties C and mins around 17,18C. I've spent the weekend at Jurien Bay 200km (125 miles) north at approx 30S on the west coast and it was extremely humid up there and warm to hot. At night the condensation was so heavy it was running off the roof. It was real warm at night too. Balmy warm weather with a bit of rain, then when the sun came out it really baked. At night it was fine to walk around in shorts and t-shirt even on the jetty, even when it rained a bit. It was almost tropical and we needed the fans running all night. It doesn't feel like we're approaching winter at all. The cold fronts which hit Perth and the southwest kind of stalled over Jurien Bay. I don't think they went any further north. It's an interesting time of year.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Tyrone]

Got to 26C yesterday then the cold front came through. Had a min around 17C with overnight rain, and then today rain on and off for a max of 22C. Got around 10mm of rain too. Haven't had this sort of weather since early Oct late Sept last year. More on the way overnight, then mid twenties and fine with next Wed tipped for 27C. Nice time of year although today feels cold and blowy. It's great to see everything soaked in the garden, and to be able to turn the retic completely off for once. Let the pump cool down.

Best regards

Tyrone

[ariscott]

Dry dry dry.... it will be boring weather from now on.... I will see you back in Sept

[Tyrone]

Cold here today. 21C. 8C tonight

Goodbye warm weather.

[tropicbreeze]

Ari, I wouldn't give up just yet, not before mid May at least. There's a bit of a monsoon trough developing to the north east and one to the north west, but nothing directly north. That's because there's a big equatorial low over the bottom of Kalimantan drawing it all in to itself. The strong highs we're getting now aren't helping though. It's already colder this April than it was last year. Hate to think what it might be like in June.

[aussiearoids]

Damn I needed a blanket last night

Think it got below 20 brrrrrrrrrrr

[ariscott]

Ari, I wouldn't give up just yet, not before mid May at least. There's a bit of a monsoon trough developing to the north east and one to the north west, but nothing directly north. That's because there's a big equatorial low over the bottom of Kalimantan drawing it all in to itself. The strong highs we're getting now aren't helping though. It's already colder this April than it was last year. Hate to think what it might be like in June.

That is what they kept on saying, Zig... but I wouldn't believe it till I see it. It is freezing and you can see everything is drying out fast. Soon at this rate, I wouldn't have any water in the dam by next week. I think we might have to get those Mexican chimney things if we want to do BBQ in June!!!

Regards, Ari

[Tyrone]

Got down to 8C around 7am but it's blue skies and the sun's shining. It's not that unusual to have single digits in April and it's almost May anyway. Been a warm April so far, and a warm year.

My Curcuma ladderwan flower went from pink to white overnight. I'd say last night made it decide to shutdown and shrink back into the soil ready for winter.

Ari, when 20C feels cold for you, think of me in single digits and feel warm again.

If it's dried out with 20C mins Ari you have to start irrigating as the evaporation rate will be too high with those temps. Here I irrigate until mins drop below 12, 13C. After that I irrigate very cautiously if things start to really dry out. It's that fine line between not over irrigating certain plants and not letting other stuff dry right out and dying. For example my Curcumas get no water in winter and those in pots get trimmed back to nothing and the pots get put where they get no rain at all, but my Majestic palm actually likes water all year with the odd bit of fertiliser too in winter. I found one year I gave it nothing through winter and it developed a major deficiency and I nearly lost it. Since then I just keep everything going as usual through winter and it keeps opening spears and looking great in winter. The Heliconias are a tough one. In pots you don't overwater or you lose them. If they dry right out you lose them. Just a bit moist is all they need. In the ground is much easier.

I can't remember Ari, do you irrigate from the dam or groundwater?

Best regards

Tyrone

[ariscott]

Irrigation is on, Tyrone.... All checked & ready to go. Scott even put some on the Mauritia at the back... good man!! I irrigate from bore. My dam is not sealed so it doesn't hold water in the dry season. When I can find a few thousand $$$ spare to bring bentonite in, I will seal it. Although, even then... we probably won't irrigate from there... it will just be a water feature instead of water source.

I can't grow heliconias in pots for too long here too. The wet season will kill them. They will develop rot very quickly and DIE. So, as soon as they have a shoot forming, they go in the ground.

I am not complaining... it has been a good wet and now, it is nice to be able to go outside and not sweat as much.

Regards, Ari

[Tyrone]

Irrigation is on, Tyrone.... All checked & ready to go. Scott even put some on the Mauritia at the back... good man!! I irrigate from bore. My dam is not sealed so it doesn't hold water in the dry season. When I can find a few thousand $$ spare to bring bentonite in, I will seal it. Although, even then... we probably won't irrigate from there... it will just be a water feature instead of water source.

I can't grow heliconias in pots for too long here too. The wet season will kill them. They will develop rot very quickly and DIE. So, as soon as they have a shoot forming, they go in the ground.

I am not complaining... it has been a good wet and now, it is nice to be able to go outside and not sweat as much.

Regards, Ari

Wow, I'd never expect Heliconia's to rot in pots when they love water and heat. But there you go. My potted Heliconia's are always planted in very very open mix or they won't make it through the winter well.

Glad you have bore irrigation.

Best regards

Tyrone

[ariscott]

yeah... wouldn't know what to do without my bore. It hasn't run since November though... what a great wet we had!! Usually, I still need to run it between monsoon trough.

BTW, I don't grow things in pots very well anyway. They need a lot of work to look good. I grow things better in the ground

Regards, Ari

[Walter John]

freezing here got to 15c.

[tropicbreeze]

Ari, there's a low over New Caledonia and another just west of Sumatra. And the equatorial low has moved down to south of Irian Jaya. That's where the monsoon trough will be now. If the highs weaken off then maybe you'll be sweating again soon. I wouldn't mind a bit more rain. Might stop those night temperatures dropping so much. Noonamah AWS recorded 19.1C this morning but it's been lower than that already.

[Tyrone]

A high is basically sitting over us for about a week. Clear days, cold nights. Back up to 27C by next Friday and mid teens again at night. We're just a little too far south to avoid the eye of the highs that come through. Where there is an easterly wind pressure gradient the temps stay up at night. The temps yoyo as the highs move through and we go from cold front and high humidity, back to high pressure and low humidity in 7-14 day cycles. The monotony of the warm weather patterns of summer is gone.

Best regards

Tyrone

[ariscott]

Ari, there's a low over New Caledonia and another just west of Sumatra. And the equatorial low has moved down to south of Irian Jaya. That's where the monsoon trough will be now. If the highs weaken off then maybe you'll be sweating again soon. I wouldn't mind a bit more rain. Might stop those night temperatures dropping so much. Noonamah AWS recorded 19.1C this morning but it's been lower than that already.

Really?? I quite enjoy the fact that I don't instantly sweat when I go outside.... Oh well....

Regards, Ari

[happ]

Not the hottest day of the year so far but close at 93F\ 33.8C. It reached 94F in late March. Summer is only a month away. But a good cooldown with coastal clouds should develop by the weekend.

[Dave-Vero]

Truly weird having tornadoes in the American South and Auckland, New Zealand about the same time.

[Tyrone]

Agree. You don't often associate tornadoes with New Zealand.

Well May is looking like it's going to be warmer than usual. We've had some cool 8-11C nights, and days from 23-27C, but we go back up to mid teens at night with days around 26-28C for the next week or so. All the cold fronts are being blocked by the highs which are flying beneath Australia. Normally by now I'm considering what day to protect the coconut with some sort of plastic guard. Not this year. The coconut is still growing flat out, and I haven't seen a cold change (less than 20C forecast max) in the 2 week forecast yet. I wonder if we'll make it to June before that happens this year. If so it will be a warm mild winter.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Mike in Nelson]

You'd be suprised how many tornadoes we have here in a year. But usually they are only small ones unlike the the one in Auckland which killed one person and caused a few million dollars of damage.

[happ]

Still hot today [88F\ 31.1C] but cooling will begin in earnest tomorrow\ into the weekend.

Some people don't appreciate seasonal changes claiming there aren't any seasons in California. But the subtleties are quite obvious to observers of weather and palm growth. The Pacific Subtropical High strengthens and moves northward along the West Coast this time of the year, pushing the storm track north of California and starting the long dry season. The air circulating around this semi-permanent ridge creates west-northwesterly winds along the California coast. But the ocean temps are still quite cool [generally below 60F\ 15.5C except off Southern California] in May so coastal clouds\ fog develops and moves inland during the night hours. Along the immediate coastline the stratus may not burn off at all and suppresses maximum temps. Coinciding with this is the development of the thermal heat low that forms in the desert; the intense heat rises and creates a vacuum for an onshore push of cool Pacific air during afternoons. The inland heat continues to build into summer and shifts westward so that even areas near the ocean can become quite hot if a mountain range blocks the moist cool oceanic air. A mere 10 miles inland can mean a difference of over 30F\ 17C degrees between nearby areas on a summer afternoon.

Mediterranean climates share similar characteristics but there are definite differences as well. For example the actual Mediterranean Sea is warmer during summer at the same latitude than the Pacific coast of North and South America. I don't think coastal clouds are as common during summer in the Mediterranean or the Indian Ocean off South Africa or Western Australia, though I could be wrong. Conversely the Mediterranean Sea is cooler than the Pacific Ocean during winter.

Just thought I'd share these thought with those who are interested in climates.

[Tyrone]

True. Ocean fogs rarely if ever happen here. A few years back one did come across one summer in the afternoon completely blocking the view for more than 200m. People at the beach thought Rottnest Island had totally been destroyed by fire. Very rare here.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Walter John]

In a cold period already, max no higher than 22c after tomorrow, one day next week min may get below 10c.

Curse these fiendish High pressure systems with short daylight hours.

[Tyrone]

Haven't protected the coconut yet, which is unusual as by now i'd at least know what date to do it, but so far the weather is still OK. Perth had 30C on Sun. Unbelievable.

Best regards

Tyrone

[PalmGuyWC]

Temps are still cool in N. Calif. This is the 3rd year in a row with a cool late spring. My daytime highs are only reaching around 70F and the nights falling to high 40's, low 50's. My palms still think it's winter time, but I think the rains are over..

Dick

[Tyrone]

Going through the sunniest May period in history here. Averaging 9hrs of sunshine per day so far. Mid twenties during the day and mid teens to low double digits at night. It looks like around the 26th the weather will turn to wetter weather but night temps aren't going to plummet away which is really good. Will put protection on the coconut probably next weekend just to be safe.

24C today after 12.2C min this morning. Cool, but not cool enough to put the heater on. I'm resisting putting the gas heater on to try and recoup some money from having the air con on nearly non stop during summer. What a bill that was.

Saturday Partly cloudy. Min 12 Max 25Sunday Cloudy periods. Min 13 Max 24Monday Cloudy periods. Min 13 Max 25Tuesday Showers developing. Min 15 Max 25Wednesday Few showers. Min 14 Max 22Thursday Shower or two. Min 13 Max 22

Best regards

Tyrone

[happ]

Going through the sunniest May period in history here. Averaging 9hrs of sunshine per day so far. Mid twenties during the day and mid teens to low double digits at night. It looks like around the 26th the weather will turn to wetter weather but night temps aren't going to plummet away which is really good. Will put protection on the coconut probably next weekend just to be safe.

24C today after 12.2C min this morning. Cool, but not cool enough to put the heater on. I'm resisting putting the gas heater on to try and recoup some money from having the air con on nearly non stop during summer. What a bill that was.

Saturday Partly cloudy. Min 12 Max 25Sunday Cloudy periods. Min 13 Max 24Monday Cloudy periods. Min 13 Max 25Tuesday Showers developing. Min 15 Max 25Wednesday Few showers. Min 14 Max 22Thursday Shower or two. Min 13 Max 22

Best regards

Tyrone

Hey Tyrone,

Looks like you are experiencing a mild late autumn thus far; hopefully winter will stay the same. We continue to vacillate between winter and summer; last week several days were above 90F\ 32.2 while one day earlier this week was well below 70F\ 21.1C [even Las Vegas was in the 60's - about 20 degree F below normal]. And another trough will descend into California this weekend followed by the possibility of a subtropical system of extraordinary rainfall next week. That would be quite unusual, in-fact any rainfall in May is quite unusual. Hope the models are correct.

Today: Hi: 81F\ 27.2C Lo: 56F\ 13.3C

[ariscott]

Geez... Middle point was 11 deg this morning... so we would probably be around 13 deg. When Scott went outside at 7.30am it was only 15deg!! AND IT IS ONLY MAY!!!!!

Regards, Ari

[tropicbreeze]

Ari, hopefully this is the end of the real chill for a while. But it was a cold summer/wet season and the nights have cooled off really quickly this dry/end of wet. The BOM recorded 12.7C for Middle Point this morning, 0.4C above Noonamah AWS. Earlier in the week Noonamah had one morning higher than Darwin. It depends on when and where the breezes blow. But it's the dry air that's the worst.

Spare a thought for Qld though. Townsville had a minimum of 11.3C this morning (9C yesterday), and Cairns had 12.1C this morning. And they're right on the coast.

Pity that low off the Pilbara coast isn't moving over the Kimberley. I've taken my Amorphophallus titanum seedlings inside, the large plants would be okay in this weather but I don't want to take a chance with the seedlings.

[Daryl]

Yeah, this weather is the worst! Days are beautiful, but the nights are C O L D ! Down to 7C this morning in my little gully. Too cold for May.

Daryl

[amazondk]

Due to La Niña the rainy season is predicted to last a little longer this year, through the month of June. It has been raining mostly every day.

[Tyrone]

Been having some nice mild May weather. Nights in the teens and days around 22-24C. We get one step closer to winter this weekend though. Max's around 19C and single digit nights for pretty much the first time since Sep last year. Will cover the coconut this week.. It's 24C and cloudy at the moment with a thunderstorm looming over the Indian Ocean for late this arvo through to tomorrow morning. Should be nice.

Best regards

Tyrone

[ariscott]

Pity that low off the Pilbara coast isn't moving over the Kimberley. I've taken my Amorphophallus titanum seedlings inside, the large plants would be okay in this weather but I don't want to take a chance with the seedlings.

Yep... I am going to move all my seedlings to the shadehouse... It is definitely warmer in there....

[Tyrone]

At sunrise it was 15C with 100% RH and a thick fog everywhere. Visibility would have been down to 50m before you couldn't see anything. Later on the fog started to form into droplets before your eyes that got heavier and heavier and then turned into fully fledged fairly heavy rain. Very much mountain cloud forest stuff this morning. Very nice actually. Around midday it's 22C with 75% RH and thunderstorms heading my way.

The BOM has upped the cold spell at the end of the week by 1C. I may decide to leave the coconut uncovered a bit longer. It grew 1.5cm overnight. It must have loved the thick humidity.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Tyrone]

Waiting for 10-20mm of rain and thunderstorms tomorrow morning, then cold nights in the single digits. Next week the days drop into the teens. Winter.

Time to wrap up Cocie.

Best regards

Tyrone

[ariscott]

Yep... apparently next week, it will be cold here too... I am moving most of my seedlings to the shadehouse. It is warmer in there....

I wonder whether we will get single digit in May..... hhhmmmmm

[Daryl]

Nice and mild here again, with the showers and cloud keeping palms happy. 22mm today to water the garden a bit.Hopefully it will stay mild for a while.

Daryl

[Tyrone]

Nice and mild here again, with the showers and cloud keeping palms happy. 22mm today to water the garden a bit.Hopefully it will stay mild for a while.

Daryl

That's good Daryl. For a while there Perth was having some better weather than SE QLD but now it's swapped over to the correct way.

Ari, I've noticed that the SST's over the north of Australia have gone colder than normal leaving the SW with SST's higher than normal. Cooler SST's may unfortunately make a cool dry winter for you guys this year. I would protect your more tender stuff, not because you'd get anywhere near as cold as me down here, but because your plants aren't used to lows in the teens and of course your plants are much more tropical than my collection. Down here I'm hoping for no really cold weather due to the high SST's and maybe some good rainfall. If I lose anything this winter it won't be to the cold, but probably the wet. I'm hoping to not see anything lower than 3C this winter. Let's see if I'm right.

A line of thunderstorms is looming this morning. I've got to go and lay retic this morning.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Tyrone]

Got 38mm of rain since 1am yesterday morning and a cloudy max of 19C. A tornado wrecked some houses in Canning Vale as the front passed through. The high has since rushed in behind the front and totally cleared the skies, letting the min drop to 4.5C before sun up. BRRRRRRRRRR. Lucky I covered the coconut. Slowly warming over the next few days.

Best regards

Tyrone