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Bugger me...Winter blast inbound!

PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:31 am
by Andrew
Just when it started to warm up here too :shock:

This one looks like an absolute corker!

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Phenomenal seas for Tasmanian coastal waters
Updated: 14/09/2010
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A surge of gale to storm force winds through the Southern Ocean is going to give rise to phenomenal seas through western and southern coastal waters of Tasmania during Thursday. Maximum wave heights should reach the 14-20m range (45-66ft) off the Tasmanian coastline as the swell peaks. Parts of the Victorian and New South Wales coastlines will also be pounded by huge swells late this week.

A broad region of gale to storm force winds (see Beaufort Wind Scale) will form during Wednesday along the back of a deep low pressure system. These extremely strong winds will stretch all the way from the Antarctic continent to the southern tip of Tasmania. This is a distance of over 2000km, which will allow huge swells to build up into Thursday as the extremely strong winds continue.

For experienced surfers in the Hobart region there looks like being surf on some highly protected point breaks near South Arm late on Thursday afternoon and early on Friday morning. It is a rare occurrence to see surf of any great size in this region, with an event like this happening only once every 2-3 years on average.

Thursday will only be a day for dedicated surfers through, with temperatures hovering in low single digits through the day. It's not out of the question that snow will fall on beaches south of Hobart during Thursday as an extremely cold, polar blast moves through.

The same winds that will generate the huge swells for Tasmania will also drag an airmass all the way from the Antarctic ice shelf into the south of the state on Thursday, delivering the coldest pulse of air seen in the south of the state all year.

The weather pattern mid this week is not too dissimilar to that of July 1986, when heavy snow fell to sea level in Hobart, although snow is unlikely to settle on the ground like it did in that year.

Huge and powerful swell will also reach further a field than Tasmania, with areas in southwestern Victoria and southern New South Wales also in for a pounding.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:39 am
by Moon Beam
I wish for you and yours to be safe and warmly Wombat but boy am I glad it's there and not here.
Suck off snow I say!

PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:45 am
by Andrew
Moon Beam wrote:I wish for you and yours to be safe and warmly Wombat but boy am I glad it's there and not here.
Suck off snow I say!


We never get snow at sea level here....only ever in the mountains. Only even beeen snowed in once and that event is being referenced in the news above. Will be a novelty :)

The 60ft swell sounds interesting. I'll post pics if anything interesting happens!

PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:47 am
by Andrew
Hobart is set to reach only 10°C on Thursday, 5°C below average. The drop in temperature will see the city experience its coldest September day in three years.

“A bitterly cold air mass from Antarctica is currently sweeping north over the Southern Ocean. The cold air will reach Tasmania on Wednesday morning and cause temperatures to drop rapidly, lowering the snow level to below 600 metres in the south of the state,” says Tom Saunders, Meteorologist at The Weather Channel.

The Weather Channel forecasts that temperatures will drop even further on Wednesday night as gale-force south-westerly winds continue to carry very cold air north from Antarctica.

“These winds will drop the snow falls to near sea level in southern areas by Thursday morning. Elevated towns like Waratah, Fern Tree and Oatlands should see snow by early Thursday,” he continues.

“Gale to storm force winds blowing across the Southern Ocean will also generate phenomenal seas. We expect maximum wave heights to exceed 14 metres off the southern coastline on Thursday afternoon,” says Saunders.

“Freezing conditions will persist across Tasmania through Thursday and most of Friday. We expect the cold south-westerly winds to gradually ease during the weekend,” he concludes.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:48 am
by Moon Beam
Andrew wrote:I'll post pics if anything interesting happens!


That I would love to see Wombat, Thank you!
Stay safe Sir.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 1:29 am
by bluejeangirl76
Kwitcherbitchin', Wombat. Fall is setting in here and I'm freezing! :evil: :lol:

Just kiddin', Cap'n Koala. Stay safe. Or move the hell out of Tasmania. Either way. :lol: :lol:

PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 2:20 am
by Angel
Andrew wrote:Hobart is set to reach only 10°C on Thursday, 5°C below average. The drop in temperature will see the city experience its coldest September day in three years.


Sorry, no sympathy from me! 10 C is 50 F and it has just now warmed up to that for the day here-and I thought it was pretty warm! You have no idea what a real winter is! :lol: :wink:

But stay safe and stay out of that violent water!!!

PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:16 pm
by Andrew
Angel wrote:
Andrew wrote:Hobart is set to reach only 10°C on Thursday, 5°C below average. The drop in temperature will see the city experience its coldest September day in three years.


Sorry, no sympathy from me! 10 C is 50 F and it has just now warmed up to that for the day here-and I thought it was pretty warm! You have no idea what a real winter is! :lol: :wink:


That is true! Being buffetted by winds and rain right now....cooling down.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:31 pm
by Andrew
Rain is now hail :)

PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:45 pm
by WalkInMyShoes
Image

PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:55 am
by Andrew
Rain/hail coming in horizontally with winds of 70k/h...lovely. About 5C (40F) and snow on all hilltops, but not into the city as predicted. Windchill is -5C or -22C on the mountain behind us. Lovely.