Australia: temperature anomalies

A friend sent this to me as “proof” of his contention that the world is heading for an ice age - lol

Brisbane hits coldest temperature in 103 years

If you are lucky enough to be reading this from the comfort of your blankets, it might be best to stay there, as Brisbane has hit its coldest temperatures in 103 years.

The Australian,

12 July, 2014

Not since July 28 1911 has Brisbane felt this cold, getting down to a brisk 2.6C at 6.41am.

At 7am, it inched up to 3.3C.

Matt Bass, meteorologist from BOM, said the region was well below our average temperatures.

“If it felt cold, that’s because it was, breaking that record is pretty phenomenal for Brisbane,” Bass said.

“The average for this time of year is 12C, so Brisbane was about 9C below average, it is pretty impressive really, to have the coldest morning in 103 years is a big record.”

The coldest place across the state was Oakey which got down to -6.1C, which was the coldest temperature for the town since 2011.

FREEZING: Records tumble with the temperature

BRRRR: Cold snap hits south of state

Brisbane wasn’t the only town hitting landmark temperatures with Clermont breaking its coldest record two days in a row.

“Clermont in the coal fields got down to -4.5 which is a new record for them, their previous record was -3.7, which was set yesterday, so they’ve re-broken their record two days in a row.”

All these cold temperatures are being brought on as cold air moves up from the south, combined with clear nights.

“We are seeing a series of cold fronts push really cold air across South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, which has brought low level snow.

“Which is good for the ski fields down there, but once all that air moves up towards Queensland it is still very cold and it loses all that moisture that drops all over Victoria and those other areas.

These horses brave a frosty morning in Stanthorpe where it was reported to be -6C. Pic: Paul Tully.

“By the time it comes up here it is cold and dry and on clear nights like last night that cold dry air chills off really easily.”

The temperature gauge is starting to slowly rise in Brisbane sitting at a cool 3.6c shortly before 8am, with a top of 22c expected for today, although don’t get too excited as the cold temperatures are expected again tomorrow.

“There will be another cold morning tomorrow, probably not as cold as this morning but it will still be very frosty across the Darling Downs and the interior and very cold along much of the coastal strip as well.

Cows among the frost at Warwick. Pic: Terry West, Southern Downs Weather and Stormchasing.

“It will be maybe a degree or two warmer than this morning and then Monday will be slightly warmer.

“By Tuesday and Wednesday we will have a bit of cloud around, we are looking at temperatures back towards the average of around 11C.”

Other chilly areas were;

Warwick -5.9

Kingaroy -5.7

Applethorpe -5.4

Dalby -5.0

Clermont -4.5

Miles -4.3

Roma -4.3

Beaudesert -3.8

Ipswich/Amberley -2.5

Gympie -1.5

Charleville -1.5

Coolangatta 1.0 – coldest morning since July 2011

Sunshine Coast 2.0

Meanwhile, the cold snap is predicted to send vegetable prices soaring up to three times normal prices.

The combination of an unusually late start to winter plus a sudden plummet to near-record lows has confused the growing cycles of just about every plant.

Queensland horticulture organisation Growcom chief advocate Rachel Mackenzie said the last fortnight’s weather has caused a significant reduction in availability of some fruits and vegetables.

“The first cold snap can be expected to affect production until the produce adapts to the cold and begins growing normally again,” said Ms Mackenzie.

“Yes, prices will go up in the short term, however from a very low base.

“In May and June the temperature was 5C to 6C above average. Consequently there was a flush of vegetables causing an oversupply which was disastrous for growers in terms of returns.

“Prices were very low and growers were not covering the cost of production at this time.

“The price rises are normal for this time of year and reflect the work of Mother Nature and the usual supply and demand issues experienced in the horticulture industry.

“Growers are price takers – produce prices are largely determined by the market rather than being set by producers.”

Broccoli, cucumbers, cauliflower, snow peas and lettuce are among the varieties tipped to be more pricey.

Commercial buyer for Clayfield Fresh Markets Mick Crouch, said broccoli typically sells for $3-$4 per kilogram at this time of year, but has already hit $10 per kilogram in some stores.

“When the cold snap hits, supply slows down and prices go up. The temperature either kills or freezes the crops and they don’t get enough heat to grow,” he said.

“We’ll start to see broccoli, snow peas, lettuce and cauliflower struggle next week. Cauliflowers will be at least $6 each, and corn will go up to $2 a cob – 50¢ is normal for this time of year, so it’s a 300 per cent increase.”

Food Connect founder Robert Pekin said growers in southeast Queensland were feeling the chill.

“Queensland is a big market for cucumber and zucchini, and things have basically halted in the paddock and even greenhouses,” he said.

“We have a cucumber farmer who said his crops have stayed at 1.5 inches long for the last three weeks.”

But the news isn’t all bad.

“The citrus farmers are loving it – it really sweetens up the blood oranges, and heirloom varieties of carrots and parsnips are doing really well, too,” he said.