Low pressure arriving in Adelaide

[Paul Haese]

You east coasters get the east coast lows but we get these monsters arriving during autumn and winter. Typically it will mean high speed winds during the arrival tomorrow with a load of rain, though not as much as an east coast low produces. The photo says it all.

SA people time to batten down the hatches on your observatories. I always get a little nervous when I see these monsters coming in. We have a rather large tree in our back yard that has been pollarded but if it fell over it would wreck the house. Not to mention the observatories are in the line of fire too.

[RickS]

Hope its arrival is uneventful, Paul!

[casstony]

Two recent fronts produced wind gusts around 100kmh in Warragul last week and we lost a large claret ash. What wind speeds are forecast ahead of this one?

[glend]

Good luck Paul. Anything extra you can do to secure the observatory? Mine survived the 115kmph winds of the 2015 East Coast Low, and no water got inside.
I usually bring all the equipment into the house during a big weather event, just leaving the mount head on the pier under a big towel and plastic bag (just in case). I duct tape over the front flap on the slide off roof if I have time. Roof tie downs double checked and track locks engaged.
:thumbsup:

[Paul Haese]

Tony at this stage the predictions are 90-100km gusts with average winds are 50-65km hour as the flanks of the low pass through. Bit of a screamer but normal for the types of lows we get in SA during winter and autumn.



Glen, the observatories have been through quite a few big ones now. Removing gear is not really an option for a remote facility but I get your meaning. Last year one of the lows that came through recorded as gust of 125kph. Lifted the roll off roof and moved it 1 foot along the rack and pinion drive. Next morning I turned on the camera in the observatory and saw that the roof had moved back a bit. Drove down to the obs to move the roof back and check on equipment. Some damp floor but the equipment was fine. I have purposely orientated the observatory so that the weather comes from the south and the higher roof protects the moving roof and stops lift generally. So far the obs has faced about 10 storms and that was the first incident. Most other storms were 110-115kph though. An added protection is that the wheels of the roll off roof run in C sections and this holds the roof down. That negates the need for hold down clips. That said the lift last time has me a little concerned. I will be watching carefully as the low crosses.

The Scope Dome though is rated for much higher wind speeds and has not had a problem, nor do I expect it to be the case. It is parked into the wind and ready to resist the gusts.

The house where the observatories are located is also similarly rated for withstanding high wind speeds. Time will tell.

[CapturingTheNight]

Hope it does not do any damage Paul. In the mean time that band of clear sky in front of it might mean that you guys are the only ones in Australia in with a shot at the large aurora display currently happening. Everywhere else southerly is wall to wall cloud and rain by the looks of it (Been raining here all day). Aurora firing up now in New Zealand apparently.

[Exfso]

Yeah Paul, hold on to your gussets, my bar is already 996 and dropping, the centre is forecast at around 983mb, that is plenty low enough for these latitudes. It is currently spinning like a top on the mobile sat pix. Having said all that it is sky clear at present, however not for long hey...:eyepop:

[kinetic]

You guys are not helping.......:sadeyes:

Here's what happened to me this morning at 04:55am.

https://youtu.be/luKxxiUKRvY

A mini tornado /squall /bloody well something ugly came through here.
There were 4 clamps holding on my new one piece dome door that I've spent
3 months working on.
Weather stations locally showed events gusting around 4:50ish at between 50-60km/h but this here in the foothills was very strong.
I was awake at the time, luckily I had just let the dog out and was making a coffee. Heard a huge bang and just knew what the sound was.:rolleyes::mad2:

Steve

[Exfso]

Those damn spiders love spinning webs on CCTV cams. I am always cleaning mine.. Pretty gusty there Steve, I have just bolted down my roll off roof..

[Shiraz]

Thanks Paul. just finished imaging in almost totally calm conditions - the clouds rolled in at 11:15. The ROR is well and truly tied down and it has been through a few storms in the past, so here's hoping.

Crikey Steve, hope not too much damage.

update: it went eerily quiet and dead calm at midnight, while I was out checking around the yard - a few dogs started some nervous barking....very unnerving. The sky has cleared again, but it looks to me like the mother of all "sucker" holes.

[Sconesbie]

It's due over Northern Tas today I think.

[h0ughy]

oh man that would be hard to watch - was the scope and mount covered with a tarp etc:sadeyes: