Maleny Weather

Drought was a factor of spring and summer weather in the middle south of South America, an area spanning the heart of Argentina into Uruguay and southern Brazil

Late-season snow and high winds pushed through the eastern United States, killing at least five people as the freeze snapped power lines, closed schools ands badly affected transport. More than 30cm of snow fell in parts of the northeastern states of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire

At least seven people, including four children, were killed in a landslide after torrential rains in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea.

Construction has begun on the WMO pavilion at the World Expo 2010 site in Shanghai, China. With floor space of 2 000 m2, it will be the first meteorological pavilion in the 157-year history of the Expo.

Expo visitors will receive updated weather forecasts free on their mobile phones. There will also be weather updates on a large screen in front of the pavilion and on the pavilion’s Expo Website.

Expo 2010 will be held from 1 May to 31 October 2010, a season of rain, flood and typhoons in Shanghai, with constantly changing weather, ranging from hot sunshine to heavy thunderstorms

This winter is likely to be the coldest in the United Kingdom since 1995/1996, according to provisional Met Office figures.

The low temperatures have also been accompanied at times by heavy snow. During early February, the heaviest snowfall for 18 years was experienced over many areas of the country. The cold weather has been in contrast to the run of very mild winter temperatures that have been recorded over recent years.

Natural variability of climate means that the UK will continue to see spells of colder weather at times. Although, if it had not been for the general warming already observed in global temperatures, this winter may well have been even colder.

Official statistics show Ivanhoe recorded the hottest summer temperature in New South Wales. Parts of the region sweltered through a mid-summer heatwave. The average maximum temperature was up two degrees. The hottest day of summer was recorded in Ivanhoe, where the mercury hit 47 degrees. It was dry in Menindee and Tibooburra last month. But figures from the Bureau of Meteorology show parts of the Western Plains had above average summer rainfall. Storms dumped 231 millimetres of rain on Bourke last month, causing flash flooding. That is well above the shire’s average February rainfall of 39mm. Brewarrina, Lightning Ridge and Coonamble recorded high summer rainfall. Lightning Ridge had 141mm last month, almost three times its February average. But a majority of the central west had a dry summer. Figures from the Bureau of Meteorology show Condobolin, Parkes, Mudgee and Orange all recorded below average summer rainfall. Cowra had 90mm of rain, half of what it normally gets

The first few days and nights of autumn were hot and sultry. Humidity was around 90 per cent for most of the time with daytime temperatures rising to thirty degrees. The Heat Exhaustion Index reached 40ºC at 2.15 pm on Sunday 1^st. However, welcome relief arrived on Thursday with winds backing south-westerly and bringing a four degree drop in temperature with humidity plunging down to a comfortable 30 per cent.

Severe TC “Hamish” was downgraded to Category 4 at 1.00pm on Sunday 8^th, when it was centred ENE of McKay. It is travelling SSE parallel to the coast at 17 kilometres per hour. Evacuation of low lying islands and coastal areas is advised as far south as Moreton Bay

Up to 60 vehicles were stranded on a major road overnight after heavy snow hit parts of Devon.

The snow caused accidents and fallen trees across the county, and about 18 schools were affected, closing for the day or deciding to open later than usual.

Last year we had a wet summer with 1,197 mm of rain on the Ranges.  It was also a cool summer with a mean max temperature of 24ºC. It is somewhat different this year with summer rainfall less than half the previous year and an increase of two degrees in the mean maximum summer temperature.

A complex synoptic weather system prevailed for most of February. By the beginning of the month the monsoonal trough had drifted lower and brought some useful falls of rain to our region. A high pressure system in the Tasman Sea extended a ridge up the east coast. The associated south-easterly winds with isolated showers brought the ‘brollies’ out. We had thick fog on the 19th.  As winds backed north-westerly temperatures climbed to thirty degrees, which would not have been too bad had it not been for extreme Relative Humidity prevailing at the time. The Heat Stress factor recorded on Friday 20th was 41ºC; dangerously high for the young and elderly alike.

Weather data was lost at the Maleny Weather Station due to ants building their nests in highly sensitive recording equipment; resulting in the loss of some computer graphics.