Current weather obs

[Duck!]

Yeah, the best of it has passed. Sunday night I went back to the same beach as the night before, but a bit earlier, and this time had my DSLR camera with me to try to get some pics. To the naked eye, there was less dawn-like glow in the sky than Saturday night, but more distinct streaking patterns. I took some pics, but haven't had a really good look yet; on the camera screen they show some dark red hazing, but not much more.

Returning to ground level, we're still in a fairly mild weather state in Melbourne. We had a reasonable bit of rain Thursday night and Friday morning, and a bit more Friday night - not the Sydney-style dumpings we had a few of over the last couple of summers, rather the more gentle but "pissistant" falls more typical for here. Clear nights mean that overnight temperatures are now in single figures much more often than they're not. Winter is definitely closing in, but not as precipitously as it sometimes does here.

[CmdrBiggles]

Sydney has clear skies tonight but probably seems like it’s finished.

Our time for rain tomorrow, Friday here in Victoria, hooray!

However, it is circumspect.
This increasingly infrequent wet and cool break is followed by only 1mm or so of paltry dribs and drabs now and then before long runs of sunny and unusually warm temperatures next week (case in points, it's 20°c here in G-Town presently!).

This year is the best for more than 20 years for aurora spotting; we'll continue to see events pop up now and then.

[brumby33]

Looks like it'll get cool around Albury/Wodonga over the weekend with mins between 0c-3c and maximums around 16c at 3pm. All clear and sunny though....I so love Autumn down here!!
I think I need to invest in some warmer cycling kit.

brumby33

[warthog1]

We had a 2°c morning the other day, but I just went out a bit later. Great the last 2days for riding and the weekend looks clear in central Vic too. It is slowing down getting this spa going, as you cant not ride when it is like that, but nearly there.

[Dodgy-Knee]

We had a 2°c morning the other day, but I just went out a bit later. Great the last 2days for riding and the weekend looks clear in central Vic too. It is slowing down getting this spa going, as you cant not ride when it is like that, but nearly there.

Meanwhile over in sleepy old Perth, it’s 29C, blue sky and raging easterly winds… someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that summer is long over and to flip the record over to winter…

[warthog1]

You take the 29 I guess just not the wind.
Bit blowy here today with clear skies on my midday ride but only 12°c. Jacket, undershirt, knee warmers and light full fingered gloves. That made it pleasant out there.

[CmdrBiggles]

Finally back on the bike after a very busy week of commuting by car each day to Melbourne.

It didn't look promising on the news weather last night, so thought "...we'll see what comes in the morn' "...

What dawned as an undeniably chilly early morning had me setting off with a thermal cap under the helmet, Goretex windbreaker body vest, the approved fluoro woolly sox and OR thermobreaker polartec gloves. By the time I got to Torquay for morning brunch, joining 12 others coming from several points out of town (the longest 63km!), I was overheating! Everything off for coffee and salted caramel slice with a vanilla slice on the side for good measure. Then the ESE breeze dropped completely after 30 minutes, and all I was left with were my long riding pants, which were unzipped at the ankles and rolled up — ah so! A cyclist with the EBTC Approved Woolly Sox! In fluoro colours (1986 vintage and still going strong...).

So a beautiful sunny day nudging 16°c has eventuated, from what looked unpromising at 7.30am.
No chill in the air, no breeze to stir the trees, a great day for the open road.

[CmdrBiggles]

Grey, drack and very windy in The Cattery, but surprisingly mild after the overnight chill. I think there will be rain.

None too subtle body language from the cats (Gabby and Goo) who pointedly say enough attention on the bike and have a play with them.
Something energetic for a change. A deal!

[Duck!]

Grey and fairly drizzly day on the east side of Port Phillip. Most of the morning was wet, but the afternoon was drier, with only a few dribbly spells. All very light stuff, so not a lot in terms of the volume of water fallen.

Cooler too, only about 14 or 15°, however the cloud cover is keeping overnight temps to 8-9°, so relatively mild for the time of year.

[Andy01]

First ride this year with long pants - my part of Brisbane was a bit chilly this morning with bike computer reading 7° at one point. The nearest BoM station said 5.5°, feels like 4.9° at 7am. I will have to dig out my full-finger gloves. Fantastic morning though - not a cloud to be seen.

[AndrewCowley]

Was feels like 0.9 in Sydney. Same here, first ride for the year with leg warmers.

[CmdrBiggles]

Frankly, bloody awful in Geelong on my alloted WFH day. Grey, dull, rainy and cold...

[Mr Purple]

First ride this year with long pants - my part of Brisbane was a bit chilly this morning with bike computer reading 7° at one point. The nearest BoM station said 5.5°, feels like 4.9° at 7am. I will have to dig out my full-finger gloves. Fantastic morning though - not a cloud to be seen.

Temperature tolerance is a funny thing, isn't it! I've literally never worn long pants while cycling. I have a set of knee warmers I've never used - even on the start line of the BVRT E2E last year when it was -3 degrees.

I seem to generate a lot of heat so even arm warmers and long fingered gloves only come out on a handful of days every year. Though I've found overshoes to be often helpful as well. It always mystifies me when I see people wearing full on winter gear on days it's in the mid 20's around Brisbane.

Otherwise the weather has been absolutely perfect. Being that bit cooler just makes it so much more manageable.

[Dodgy-Knee]

Still blue sky and high 20s in Perth…

[vbplease]

My last ride, 2 weeks ago, seems like an eternity ago when it was warm and i wore just bibs/jersey.. this morning, knowing it was pretty cool I wore a long sleeve winter jersey over my standard jersey.. after 1.5km I had to turn around and put on gloves, head warmer and another jacket..
I find BOM's "apparent temperature" as opposed to the standard temperature readings are spot on with my Garmin's reading.. this morning was down to 5.8 degrees.

I've worked out that a thermal base layer under a winter jersey is pretty good down to about 2 degrees, but a standard jersey used as a base layer is completely useless.. its amazing the difference a thermal base layer makes.

[queequeg]

I rode Thunderbolt's Adventure over the weekend. Forecast for Saturday over the Barrington Tops was wildly variable depending on who you believed.
The locals in Gloucester said it was going to snow, BOM said rain and sleet, Mountain Weather was hedging bets.

In the end, I wore full winter kit, Gabba2 Jacket with removable sleeves, spare deep winter gloves, waterproof cycling cap. I was well prepared, and it was all required. At the Cobark Lookout it was raining and ice cold, and we still had another 500m of climbing to go. The wind was howling, there was sleet and mud. From 700m up we were in cloud. At the 1500m point it was "feels like -7", and some riders were in summer kit. My hands were frozen solid on the first little descent towards the dingo gate so I had to stop and swap to my deep winter gloves. It took me 10 minutes to swap gloves!

The descent from the Dingo Gate to Moonan Flat was sketchy for the first 700m as we were still in cloud, but what a relief to come out of the cloud and into warmer temps and down to the roaring fire at the camp ground!

Day 2 was much nicer weather, climbing back up via Tomalla but only getting to around 1300m. This is when I lost the front brake on my bike as hydraulic fluid oozed out of the caliper on the steep descent and I ended up walking the worst part to avoid going over the edge. I rode the last 87km back to Gloucester with only my rear brake, and was rather thankful I only ended up having to walk down a couple of km of the really steep parts. This week I have to get the front brake checked out to see what went wrong. Hoping it's just that the bleed port wasn't closed properly or it's lost a seal from my squeezing the life out of the front brake on that first crazy descent!

Temps on the back half of Day 2 were a very nice 17/18 degrees and sunshine. Long day for me as I rode Zone 2 the whole way and rolled into Gloucester at 5:30pm well and truly in need of a sleep!

[warthog1]

I rode Thunderbolt's Adventure over the weekend. Forecast for Saturday over the Barrington Tops was wildly variable depending on who you believed.
The locals in Gloucester said it was going to snow, BOM said rain and sleet, Mountain Weather was hedging bets.

In the end, I wore full winter kit, Gabba2 Jacket with removable sleeves, spare deep winter gloves, waterproof

Sounds painful but epic and files to be stored in the memory, so good.

[vbplease]

I rode Thunderbolt's Adventure over the weekend. Forecast for Saturday over the Barrington Tops was wildly variable depending on who you believed.
The locals in Gloucester said it was going to snow, BOM said rain and sleet, Mountain Weather was hedging bets.

In the end, I wore full winter kit, Gabba2 Jacket with removable sleeves, spare deep winter gloves, waterproof cycling cap. I was well prepared, and it was all required. At the Cobark Lookout it was raining and ice cold, and we still had another 500m of climbing to go. The wind was howling, there was sleet and mud. From 700m up we were in cloud. At the 1500m point it was "feels like -7", and some riders were in summer kit. My hands were frozen solid on the first little descent towards the dingo gate so I had to stop and swap to my deep winter gloves. It took me 10 minutes to swap gloves!

The descent from the Dingo Gate to Moonan Flat was sketchy for the first 700m as we were still in cloud, but what a relief to come out of the cloud and into warmer temps and down to the roaring fire at the camp ground!

Day 2 was much nicer weather, climbing back up via Tomalla but only getting to around 1300m. This is when I lost the front brake on my bike as hydraulic fluid oozed out of the caliper on the steep descent and I ended up walking the worst part to avoid going over the edge. I rode the last 87km back to Gloucester with only my rear brake, and was rather thankful I only ended up having to walk down a couple of km of the really steep parts. This week I have to get the front brake checked out to see what went wrong. Hoping it's just that the bleed port wasn't closed properly or it's lost a seal from my squeezing the life out of the front brake on that first crazy descent!

Temps on the back half of Day 2 were a very nice 17/18 degrees and sunshine. Long day for me as I rode Zone 2 the whole way and rolled into Gloucester at 5:30pm well and truly in need of a sleep!

That one sounds like a great weekend!!

[elantra]

Copped a thorough drenching in “subtropical” Brisbane early this morning.

Not my usual territory so was looking forward to sneaky little ride along the Western Freeway bike route and then a lap around Coottha
(I’m sure everyone on the BNA Forums knows Coottha )

It was a pleasant 13 degrees C and cloudy skies in the outer ‘burbs at 6.30 am.
20 minutes later those clouds started to gently drop some moisture. Not enough to worry about, Stage 1 rain.
But when the rain increased and I had to take my glasses off then it was a diagnosis of stage 2 Rain.

Stage 3 rain was encountered as I crossed the Brisbane River heading north at Jindalee. The diagnostic criteria for Stage 3 is your feet feel wet.
Then came stage 4 as coldness took hold of me.

A sensible person would have turned around before this but that’s not always me.
But I did abandon my Coottha plans soon after when I crested a rise and noted that Coottha was totally obscured by dense cloud ie. raining cats and dogs up there.
Got back to my accommodation for the usual warmup protocol - warm shower and warm bed.

I think that the most obvious lesson is not to believe the smartphone app that says “cloudy conditions with chance of rain later in the day”

[open roader]

First frost of the season here this morning, so winter is coming.........

However, in the mean time the hours between 10am and 4pm have offered the most wonderful sun drenched, wind free riding conditions - the best autumnal riding conditions I can recall in 20 years...... and I'm making best use of it!

[Mububban]

Feels like winter proper for the first time so far here in Perth. Cold, wet and windy. Seeing as we've been on a record long dry spell for this time of year, let it rain!

Although if it could clear up between say midday Friday and midday Saturday so I could do a Saturday morning group ride, that'd be great

[Dodgy-Knee]

Feels like winter proper for the first time so far here in Perth. Cold, wet and windy. Seeing as we've been on a record long dry spell for this time of year, let it rain!

Although if it could clear up between say midday Friday and midday Saturday so I could do a Saturday morning group ride, that'd be great

I was thinking the exact same thing… hopefully I’ll be riding some hills out Mundaring way on Saturday morning… freezing my whatsit off no doubt but I can’t complain considering the very, very long Indian Summer we’ve had… cold and dry is way better than cold and wet anyday.

[Mr Purple]

Should have probably dug out some winter gear for my ride this morning.

8 degrees, 12km/hr westerly. For us soft Brisbane guys that was pretty nasty.

[brumby33]

It seems rather odd and I'm no weather scientist but it's weird that like the last 3 years since the rain event during covid and beyond and even more increasing is that in Sydney, the low pressure systems that keep the weather and rain systems hanging around the Sydney basin for a long time without moving. I mean it's a huge coast line so why Sydney? Why does it move so slow?

I lived in Sydney most of my last 38 years with a few years outside but not far away (Newcastle) bit it's Sydney that cops it big time all the time, I've never known a period that Sydney is wet so much over a long period.

So much for the phrase...."Sunny Sydney" lol

[uart]

I mean it's a huge coast line so why Sydney?

I think that is partly just due to observer perspective. I mean that you're more likely to take note of the rainfall if you're the one getting hammered by it.

Not denying that we've had a extraordinary amount of rain on the east coast here over the past 3 years, and it has indeed impacted Sydney a lot, but many of these events have also been concentrated more on other areas than Sydney. The event we had a few weeks ago impacted the Hunter area significantly more than Sydney, and the most recent (current) one is impacting the south coast a lot more than Sydney. Yes there are a few places in Sydney's SW that have gotten up around 120mm over a few days, but most of Sydney is only up around 50mm cumulative so far. Wollongong to Jervis Bay however have many places that have recorded nearly 200mm over the past few days with the rain still falling.