Southern Hemisphere Winter 25

[cbmnz]

On 8/13/2025 at 10:24 PM, Tyrone said:

Well this was probably the warmest winters day I’ve ever experienced today. We hit 27C and it was as windy as heck. Right now after the sun has gone down it’s still 23C. Really weird. There’s a damaging wind warning out too. 
If the wind stays up and the clouds come in it’s going to be a really warm night. The avg this time of year is 7C min to 17C max. 

27C in August would be off the scale here, confidently say it is not possible. However if it's 10C above average that is extreme for you also.  

Such a clear week, have hardly seen a cloud since I got back from my trip last Saturday.  Luckily it has not produced any one damaging frost.  That said, the 11th I consider marginally to be the hardest of the winter with equal coldest min -1.4C with the longest time below freezing. (4.5 hrs).  Still, no obvious damage.  Can have ten -1.5C mornings but one -2.5C would do far more damage.   

[tim_brissy_13]

-0.7C here this morning and trending towards freezing tomorrow morning too. Winter not quite over yet but we are expecting near 20C the next couple of days. 

[Jonathan]

On 8/19/2025 at 10:04 PM, tim_brissy_13 said:

-0.7C here this morning and trending towards freezing tomorrow morning too. Winter not quite over yet but we are expecting near 20C the next couple of days. 

That's pretty cool overnight Tim, it's been mild here, and looking pretty reasonable for the week ahead. So far August has been 1.5c above average, and we badly need rain. 

[tim_brissy_13]

3 frosts in a row for us and an average minimum of 4.1C for August so far. Some tender stuff is actually starting to look a bit beat up. Daytime averages have been a bit above average and the next week with be mild with some welcome rain coming hopefully. 
 

 

[Jonathan]

2 hours ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

3 frosts in a row for us and an average minimum of 4.1C for August so far. Some tender stuff is actually starting to look a bit beat up. Daytime averages have been a bit above average and the next week with be mild with some welcome rain coming hopefully. 
 

 

Warmer nights but cooler days for us. The big difference is that we'll keep getting cold snaps into October! 

[Phil Petersen]

Some planting today. Got a 25l R. baueri, and an M. sinclairii into the ground. 

[tropicbreeze]

About 5 weeks to the (official) end of the dry season. Although there's sometimes, and sometimes not, a bit of rain during September. But September, October and November are always hot. Today it peaked at 37.3 with some places away from the coast getting over 38. Certainly looking forward to the arrival of the monsoon..... may it be early this year.

[cbmnz]

On 8/23/2025 at 7:55 PM, Phil Petersen said:

Some planting today. Got a 25l R. baueri, and an M. sinclairii into the ground. 

1200km North of you I could not get M. sinclairii to survive in the ground in the 2000s. Would try again now but no room due to palms.  Do see some around town now doing pretty well.  With established canopy as well as the extreme minimums moderated by about 1C as has been the case the last 3 years,  might have totally different results. 

[cbmnz]

Only 4 days left in the winter now,  no more frosts this winter.  Now just a case of whether a spring surprise can stop this year having the  mildest extreme min by 0.6C. 

Even the frosts have had have not featured the duration below 0  of what used to occur at least once or twice per winter.

 

[Phil Petersen]

16 hours ago, cbmnz said:

1200km North of you I could not get M. sinclairii to survive in the ground in the 2000s. Would try again now but no room due to palms.  Do see some around town now doing pretty well.  With established canopy as well as the extreme minimums moderated by about 1C as has been the case the last 3 years,  might have totally different results. 

Possibly need quite a coastal location given they come from 3 Kings?  Ive had 2 others in the ground here for a couple of winters and they are powering along pretty well. Ive had cold damage on one of these plants in May this year but it was only the very tender new bud leaves while they were at a vulnerable stage, and it went on to grow a new set of terminal leaves on the tip very quickly after that. That same plant also went on to flower this winter but it didnt set any notable fruit, and the flower bract fell off after a couple of months with very small underformed, green fruit . I have seen a couple of mature trees fruting quite successfully at St Clair beach not far south of where I am in Andersons Bay.

[cbmnz]

On 8/28/2025 at 3:25 PM, Phil Petersen said:

Possibly need quite a coastal location given they come from 3 Kings?  Ive had 2 others in the ground here for a couple of winters and they are powering along pretty well. Ive had cold damage on one of these plants in May this year but it was only the very tender new bud leaves while they were at a vulnerable stage, and it went on to grow a new set of terminal leaves on the tip very quickly after that. That same plant also went on to flower this winter but it didnt set any notable fruit, and the flower bract fell off after a couple of months with very small underformed, green fruit . I have seen a couple of mature trees fruting quite successfully at St Clair beach not far south of where I am in Andersons Bay.

They certainly seem to have a temp range tolerance consistent with where they come from.  Don't seem to require much heat but only good for about -1C air temp, -2C is getting into the danger zone.  I'm not aware that they actually need salt winds or traces of salt in the soil (does any coastal plant?), they just tolerate it better than others. The two I tried back in the day thrived in pots as just being next to the house and slightly under cover was enough. When they outgrew pots, they grew in the ground very well  for 9-10 months but could not cope with a -3C frost when winter finally came, were taken out. In those days had almost no canopy around the house (was waiting for it to grow) and the neighborhood was still being built, lots of open space,  quite a different environment to today.

There is a beast of a specimen growing here. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.787676,175.288785,3a,39.4y,118.78h,105.13t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sDLkCMo-20ZplBUVxXK0Trg!2e0!5s20250401T000000!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-15.132330987115608%26panoid%3DDLkCMo-20ZplBUVxXK0Trg%26yaw%3D118.7759513398654!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDgyNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D 

 

[cbmnz]

More snow for Australia by the looks. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-29/weather-winter-storm-snow-antarctic-blast-arrives/105708844
The Antarctic air seems to have found a preferred exit below Australia this season and is sticking to it. 

 

[Tyrone]

Had the coldest minimum of winter this morning at 1C. It had already dropped to 6C at 8.45pm which had me worried. Just the beginning of the lightest frost was starting to form on the most exposed parts of the lawn. I think though that all the standing water in the area saved us. The place is a soggy soaked mud pile at the moment with overgrown lawn that I can’t mow as the lawnmower will just sink into the lawn and get bogged. We’ve got a high passing over slowly so tonight will be cold but with a tad more cloud cover - I hope so anyway. That’s what the models say. After a warm spell in mid August the last part of August was just rotten. Lots of low double digits high winds, even 10-15mm hail last Sunday in my area which made it to the news reports which doesn’t normally happen. The good news is the sun is back during the day so the days will be nice and the rain has stopped until Wednesday. Our yearly rainfall is almost 800mm with all of spring to go, so it’s been on the wetter side. Come on spring!!!!

[cbmnz]

1 hour ago, Tyrone said:

Had the coldest minimum of winter this morning at 1C. It had already dropped to 6C at 8.45pm which had me worried. Just the beginning of the lightest frost was starting to form on the most exposed parts of the lawn. I think though that all the standing water in the area saved us. The place is a soggy soaked mud pile at the moment with overgrown lawn that I can’t mow as the lawnmower will just sink into the lawn and get bogged. We’ve got a high passing over slowly so tonight will be cold but with a tad more cloud cover - I hope so anyway. That’s what the models say. After a warm spell in mid August the last part of August was just rotten. Lots of low double digits high winds, even 10-15mm hail last Sunday in my area which made it to the news reports which doesn’t normally happen. The good news is the sun is back during the day so the days will be nice and the rain has stopped until Wednesday. Our yearly rainfall is almost 800mm with all of spring to go, so it’s been on the wetter side. Come on spring!!!!

That's very late to get your coldest min.  After 2022 I'm not going to consider the risk over until mid October. Yeah, large hail is a nuicense.  Shredded some of my palms and bananas and have had to look at the results all winter. Look forward to Spring so the damage can grow out.

[Tyrone]

8 hours ago, cbmnz said:

That's very late to get your coldest min.  After 2022 I'm not going to consider the risk over until mid October. Yeah, large hail is a nuicense.  Shredded some of my palms and bananas and have had to look at the results all winter. Look forward to Spring so the damage can grow out.

I agree. It’s real late in the season to have your coldest minimum. I should take a look at the sea surface temps because at the beginning of winter they were 3.5C higher than average. They’ve maybe dropped now. Forecast is for a min between 1-6C tonight but windy.com is predicting cloud so probably closer to 6C. Tomorrow night though looks to be cloud free so who knows. Coldest minimum may be on Sep 1. 

[Tyrone]

Well winter according to the calendar is over now. Coldest temp was around 1.5C with no frost, that makes 2 winters with no frost, and warmest temp was 27C. Unlike last winter which was very dry this winter has been a wet one with approx 500mm falling this winter. The high rainfall has highlighted the drainage issues here, but that’s the issue when you live on a swamp. The only damage I have sustained is a sad Ensete ventricosum that was doing well until about a month ago when it got too wet and probably didn’t enjoy a day of hail. My bananas look a bit beat up too, from hail and a few days of high winds in storms. However basically everything else is fine. Bring on Spring.

[Phil Petersen]

On 9/5/2025 at 8:19 PM, Tyrone said:

 

Thats a spectacular shade of red! 🤩

[cbmnz]

What happens when contractors just plonk greenhouse grown Rhopalostylis in the ground in early July with no cover even nearby substantial  buildings.  These will be harder by next Winter but the next thing they will need to contend with is Summer sun and (likely) dryness. Can't see them ever looking that great.  This is happening all over at the place at moment part of a re-focus on natives for public planting. Which is great but wish more consideration was made as to environments that species occur in   .The other image is from streetview barely 200m away,  a supposedly less hardly species, these are showing zero damage, shows the difference when things are established. 

 

[Tyrone]

16 hours ago, cbmnz said:

What happens when contractors just plonk greenhouse grown Rhopalostylis in the ground in early July with no cover even nearby substantial  buildings.  These will be harder by next Winter but the next thing they will need to contend with is Summer sun and (likely) dryness. Can't see them ever looking that great.  This is happening all over at the place at moment part of a re-focus on natives for public planting. Which is great but wish more consideration was made as to environments that species occur in   .The other image is from streetview barely 200m away,  a supposedly less hardly species, these are showing zero damage, shows the difference when things are established. 

 

Oh dear. Hopefully they keep the water up to them, but I’ve had Rhopalostylis die after looking like that because it’s been caused by a 40C plus day. 

[cbmnz]

10 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Oh dear. Hopefully they keep the water up to them, but I’ve had Rhopalostylis die after looking like that because it’s been caused by a 40C plus day. 

They'll live. All are pushing new growth. However will never look that great in a harsh fully open environment.

[SeanK]

Should look decent by the end of this summer. They're getting acclimated to the sun as the solar angle gradually increases.

[UK_Palms]

On 9/5/2025 at 9:19 AM, Tyrone said:

Well winter according to the calendar is over now. Coldest temp was around 1.5C with no frost, that makes 2 winters with no frost, and warmest temp was 27C. Unlike last winter which was very dry this winter has been a wet one with approx 500mm falling this winter. The high rainfall has highlighted the drainage issues here, but that’s the issue when you live on a swamp. The only damage I have sustained is a sad Ensete ventricosum that was doing well until about a month ago when it got too wet and probably didn’t enjoy a day of hail. My bananas look a bit beat up too, from hail and a few days of high winds in storms. However basically everything else is fine. Bring on Spring.

 

Is that red leaf on a Chameyronia Macrocarpa?

Also 500mm in winter is bloody wet. The Met station at London St James Park is on 280mm for this entire year so far (9+ months).

[Phil Petersen]

I know its now over a month into Spring but as is often the case, Spring weather in the south of NZ delivers unsettled cold windy conditions . Last week we had snow to 200m and gale force SW winds. The coldest it got was 2.2c. Palms seem fine. Hitting high teens / 20ish max this week, forecast 23deg on Sat. 

[Tyrone]

On 10/6/2025 at 1:25 AM, UK_Palms said:

 

Is that red leaf on a Chameyronia Macrocarpa?

Also 500mm in winter is bloody wet. The Met station at London St James Park is on 280mm for this entire year so far (9+ months).

Yes. Chambeyronia macrocarpa var hookeri. 
 

280mm in 9 months sounds like wheatbelt country here in WA. That’s dry for the uk. 

[UK_Palms]

On 10/9/2025 at 12:15 AM, Tyrone said:

Yes. Chambeyronia macrocarpa var hookeri. 
 

280mm in 9 months sounds like wheatbelt country here in WA. That’s dry for the uk. 

 

Some areas of Lincolnshire are on about 250mm for the whole of 2025 so far. It is currently the 2nd driest year to date on record I believe for the eastern half of England, but it is certainly possible that it becomes the driest year ever by December, looking at the long term forecasts. Just yesterday official 'drought' status was declared in Sussex.

How many mm of rainfall are you on for 2025 in your area/locality? Everything looks very lush in your photos. The damp, mild, warmer than average winter no doubt helping.

[Phil Petersen]

We still appear to be dragging the chain on the transition out of winter here with snow on the hills this morning. Maybe next week spring will settle in 🤪

That’ll be nice! 

[tropicbreeze]

Today we get the sun direct overhead. Won't happen again until February.

Don't like BOM's online new format for the weather forecast. Funnily, it gives a "7 day forecast" only showing 6 days. 

Rain has now crept back into the forecast, hopefully it'll materialize on the ground as well. The last rain was on the 15th of this month and since then it's been hot sunny and dry. But the weeds that the earlier rain brought are still bravely soldiering on. Average maximum for the month so far 37.7, average minimum 24.7.

[Jonathan]

8 hours ago, Phil Petersen said:

We still appear to be dragging the chain on the transition out of winter here with snow on the hills this morning. Maybe next week spring will settle in 🤪

That’ll be nice! 

Chilly here yesterday too, but warming up now.

Nice Pseudopanax!

[Jonathan]

6 hours ago, tropicbreeze said:

Today we get the sun direct overhead. Won't happen again until February.

Don't like BOM's online new format for the weather forecast. Funnily, it gives a "7 day forecast" only showing 6 days. 

Rain has now crept back into the forecast, hopefully it'll materialize on the ground as well. The last rain was on the 15th of this month and since then it's been hot sunny and dry. But the weeds that the earlier rain brought are still bravely soldiering on. Average maximum for the month so far 37.7, average minimum 24.7.

The new format fully sucks!

A friend who's husband works at BOM reckons they're planning a subscription website...good luck with that boys!

[tropicbreeze]

3 hours ago, Jonathan said:

The new format fully sucks!

A friend who's husband works at BOM reckons they're planning a subscription website...good luck with that boys!

I posted on the wrong thread, wasn't a very "wintery" post. Have to redo it in the right one.

BoM is built on taxpayer money, and they plan to make us pay for it again! The 'bean counters' in Canberra only know about counting beans, they don't know how the real world works.

[Phil Petersen]

8 hours ago, tropicbreeze said:

I posted on the wrong thread, wasn't a very "wintery" post. Have to redo it in the right one.

BoM is built on taxpayer money, and they plan to make us pay for it again! The 'bean counters' in Canberra only know about counting beans, they don't know how the real world works.

Sorry if I created any thread confusion as I know there is a new growing season thread.  Just me being a bit tongue in cheek with our crappy spring weather continuing the strong winter vibes  

[Tyrone]

On 10/13/2025 at 2:24 AM, UK_Palms said:

 

Some areas of Lincolnshire are on about 250mm for the whole of 2025 so far. It is currently the 2nd driest year to date on record I believe for the eastern half of England, but it is certainly possible that it becomes the driest year ever by December, looking at the long term forecasts. Just yesterday official 'drought' status was declared in Sussex.

How many mm of rainfall are you on for 2025 in your area/locality? Everything looks very lush in your photos. The damp, mild, warmer than average winter no doubt helping.

Just noticed your question. We’ve had 940mm of rain until oct 31. On average we’ve got 60mm of rain left until the end of December so 1000mm is possibly in reach for the year. I looked at monthly rainfall totals this year vs the average and only 2 months were below average, some were average and about 3 months were well above average. The BOM put my area down for below average Oct rain but we were only 2mm below the average which is technically below but I would say we were bang on for October. It’s certainly green and not dry down here. 

[cbmnz]

On 10/4/2025 at 10:55 AM, cbmnz said:

What happens when contractors just plonk greenhouse grown Rhopalostylis in the ground in early July with no cover even nearby substantial  buildings.  These will be harder by next Winter but the next thing they will need to contend with is Summer sun and (likely) dryness. Can't see them ever looking that great.  This is happening all over at the place at moment part of a re-focus on natives for public planting. Which is great but wish more consideration was made as to environments that species occur in   .The other image is from streetview barely 200m away,  a supposedly less hardly species, these are showing zero damage, shows the difference when things are established. 

 

Update-these are doing very well, new growth is all green and seems to be handling full sun just fine.