BOM: Sydney in summer 2016-17: Warmest summer on record

[gary]

Originally Posted by Bureau of Meteorology 1 March 2017

Sydney in summer 2016-17: Warmest summer on record

Summer 2016-17 was the warmest on record for Sydney, with persistent warmth throughout the season and few cold spells. Records were broken for numbers of hot days and nights across the city, with many stations experiencing their warmest February day on record on the 10th and 11th. Rainfall was close to average, with a dry start to the summer followed by some heavy rain and thunderstorms during February.

Warmest summer on record
Summer 2016-17 was the warmest on record for Sydney Observatory Hill with the mean temperature 2.8 °C above average

Most stations, including Observatory Hill, broke summer records for all of average maximum, minimum, and mean temperatures

Temperatures were persistently warm throughout the summer, with only 14 days failing to reach 25 °C at Observatory Hill, the second-fewest on record behind summer 1990-91 (average 41 days)

Observatory Hill experienced a record-breaking 26 days of 30 °C or higher and 11 days of 35 °C or higher, with record numbers of days above 40 °C recorded in western Sydney including 11 days at Richmond

Summer temperatures peaked over 10 and 11 February, with many stations recording their hottest February day on record and some also breaking summer records, although the 47.0 °C at Richmond remained below Sydney's all-time record of 47.8 °C at the old Richmond site on 14 January 1939

Minimum temperatures were also persistently warm, with no nights below 15 °C at Observatory Hill and 58 nights reaching at least 20 °C, the second-most warm nights on record behind 64 nights in summer 1990-91 (average 22 nights)

Five nights reached at least 25 °C, the most hot nights on record, with ten nights reaching at least 24 °C; the previous records are 4 and 6 nights respectively in 2010-11

Temperatures reached 30 °C by 9 am on four days, with a temperature of 36.5 °C recorded at Observatory Hill at 9 am on January 18, the highest 9 am temperature since records began in 1955

For more information on heat records broken during summer, see Special Climate Statement 61: Exceptional heat in southeast Australia in early 2017

A dry start and a wet finish
Rainfall was average to below average across the city, with a dry December and January but a wetter than average February
Observatory Hill recorded rain on 32 days, close to the summer average of 36 rain days

Five days had more than 25 mm of rain (average 3 days), mostly in February, with flash flooding in parts of the Sydney CBD on 7 February and severe thunderstorms with large hail in parts of the north and northwest on 18 February

Statement here -
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/curren...w/sydney.shtml

[Orionskies (Julian)]

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/curren...brisbane.shtml

We had a very hot summer too. 30 days in a row where we had temperatures over 30 degrees in Brisbane!

Is this enough empirical evidence for the climate change skeptics?

[Slawomir (Suavi)]

Originally Posted by Orionskies

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/curren...brisbane.shtml

We had a very hot summer too. 30 days in a row where we had temperatures over 30 degrees in Brisbane!

Is this enough empirical evidence for the climate change skeptics?

Antarctic sea ice coverage is half of what it was this time of year in 2014...what climate change?

[casstony]

Originally Posted by Orionskies

[url]
Is this enough empirical evidence for the climate change skeptics?

Nothing is good enough to convince them. If they think they know better than Brian Cox (for example) there's no point us trying to convince anyone.

[JA]

Originally Posted by Slawomir

Antarctic sea ice coverage is half of what it was this time of year in 2014...what climate change?

The sea ice extent varies considerably throughout the year by a ratio of 5 or 6 to 1 (Maximum (in Winter) to Minimum (in Summer)).

Leaving that aside ....
As for year on year variation at the same time of year, well of course that varies too. During a time of year like now, Summer, where the sea ice is at a minimum you will see the greatest year on year change in percentage terms, because the sea ice extent is a much smaller number in Summer compared with Winter. That's not to say that the difference you mentioned between 2014 and now (2017) isn't significant, just that you'd really need to put that in to context with the prior data to know with more certainty.

Best
JA

[torana68 (Roger)]

just wondering...................... are they still using the old data back to when actual records started or are they quoting only "modern" temp data , I think I heard something about the old hand written records were not taken into account at some stage recently due to them not being acquired via modern scientific means?

[pgc hunter]

JA's post is the only sensible reply in this thread. The rest is toilet paper.

[casstony]

Originally Posted by pgc hunter

JA's post is the only sensible reply in this thread. The rest is toilet paper.

Stiff in opinion, often wrong.

[gary]

There is an article by Peter Hannam in today's Sydney Morning Herald
entitled "'Huge experiment': The continent that climate change has not forgotten" that discusses some of the latest findings in Antarctica and the Arctic.

Article here -
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/cl...02-gupeq8.html

[clive milne]

Originally Posted by casstony

Stiff in opinion, often wrong.

Sab in the afterlife...

https://www.cardcow.com/images/set504/card00062_fr.jpg

[casstony]

That's a bit naughty of you Clive

Sometime ago, once all the misinformation turned climate science into somewhat of a religious debate, I stopped trying to figure out what was really going on and simply adopted the position of scientists I admire and who are in a position to know better than me anyway. To assume Brian Cox, Neil deGrasse Tyson, David Attenborough, Tim Flannery, etc know less about stuff than I do would be ridiculous.

Edit: forgot to mention Dr Karl in that list, great guy, respected by everyone, probably knows more than....... just about everyone Now if we could just reincarnate Julius Sumner Miller for an opinion.

[clive milne]

Originally Posted by casstony

That's a bit naughty of you Clive

Sometime ago, once all the misinformation turned climate science into somewhat of a religious debate, I stopped trying to figure out what was really going on and simply adopted the position of scientists I admire and who are in a position to know better than me anyway. To assume Brian Cox, Neil deGrasse Tyson, David Attenborough, Tim Flannery, etc know less about stuff than I do would be ridiculous.

Tony... I don't disagree with you, but I am ever cautious with respect to accepting (perceived) authority figures as being correct by default.... Dr Karl (ABC Radio) being a case in point where an otherwise credible voice is not above employing logical fallacies in defence of the scientifically untenable for political expedience.

That being said, I find it mildly amusing that some individuals are happy to defer without question to the knowledge and wisdom of a planetary (climate) scientist such as James Hansen when it comes to every planet in the solar system... except this one.

[casstony]

Originally Posted by clive milne

Tony... I don't disagree with you, but I am ever cautious with respect to accepting (perceived) authority figures as being correct by default.
.

Totally valid point Clive. I've just decided to trust those five guys I listed (among others); I literally cannot imagine that they are part of a conspiracy to fool me.

[clive milne]

Originally Posted by casstony

Totally valid point Clive. I've just decided to trust those five guys I listed (among others); I literally cannot imagine that they are part of a conspiracy to fool me.

No... I don't imagine that they are on that page...

On the other hand, the Koch brothers, Gina Reinhardt, Rupert Mordoch, et al... are not a demographic of people that imbue me with any degree of confidence that altruism is featured anywhere in their lexicon, even at a subliminal level.

[pgc hunter]

Originally Posted by clive milne

Sab in the afterlife...

https://www.cardcow.com/images/set504/card00062_fr.jpg

btw, Perth has had a below avg summer. Funny how there is nary a peep out of the likes of you when temps are cooler. Explain that please.

Originally Posted by casstony

That's a bit naughty of you Clive

Sometime ago, once all the misinformation turned climate science into somewhat of a religious debate, I stopped trying to figure out what was really going on and simply adopted the position of scientists I admire and who are in a position to know better than me anyway. To assume Brian Cox, Neil deGrasse Tyson, David Attenborough, Tim Flannery, etc know less about stuff than I do would be ridiculous.

Edit: forgot to mention Dr Karl in that list, great guy, respected by everyone, probably knows more than....... just about everyone Now if we could just reincarnate Julius Sumner Miller for an opinion.

Tim Flannery - the gentleman who predicted it will never rain again, campaigned against construction of dams in favour of vastly more expensive desal plants, which are now rusting under water, and predicted that our coastal cities will be under water within our lifespan, then buys an expensive waterfront home...

A cockroach has more intelligence than that far-left socialist climate extremist.

[lazjen (Chris)]

Originally Posted by pgc hunter

btw, Perth has had a below avg summer. Funny how there is nary a peep out of the likes of you when temps are cooler. Explain that please.

Ok, will do:

http://grist.org/climate-energy/some...-show-cooling/
https://www.skepticalscience.com/glo...ld-weather.htm

Then when you raise the next "issue" trying to deny climate change, try looking up the answer yourself before making remarks like the above.

[Orionskies (Julian)]

What frustrates me about the so-called "climate change debate" is that there still seems to be one. Those who are skeptical don't offer any counter solutions to the problem just argument and simplistic statements. It worked for the tobacco, lead, alcohol, asbestos industries etc and stalled science for many decades. But with this subject, we don't have that luxury of time to waste. It's not like we can pack up and move to Trappist 1! Or Mars for that matter.

Just accept the science and let's move onto a fair solution.

Cheers
Julian

[xelasnave]

The only way to stop the place heating up is to create an artificial shield that greatly reduces the heat from the Sun. Unfortunately when in place the shield will prevent us seeing any stars at all.

The money at stake for the players on both sides of the arguement means one should regard any evidence as highly suspect.

If its getting hotter because of humans then prepare for a hot future cause nothing will change except the business opportunities as things get worse.

I know a carbon tax will fix it just as will more nuclear power stations and desalinators.

Who was that guy telling us the inconvenient truth? Anyone know what his dollar take on his scare campaign... Anyone know where he lives, how he travels. Big house big car doing his bit... I fail to see how anyone can believe he was on the level.... no one will admit they were conned so we dont mention that road show these days.

And as pointed out earlier a certain someone purchased a waterfront down the Hawkesberry when he and others were telling the pensioners at Ettalong their homes would be underwater before they could blink.

Shamful yet some still regard that person as honourable .

Why would you buy a water front if you sincerely believed what you were telling everyone.

Al Gore, thats the inconvenient truth guy.. $45 million for his show and lives in a energy guzzling mansion and drives a v12.

The science may tell us what the climate is doing but it does not tell us how the opportunists grab this money maker and run with it.

Recall Prime Minister Howard saying climate change must be recognised and within a week some foundation came out with a map showing where all the NP power stations would go... Sortta missed something in the debate process and we were left arguing about.. Not if we would have more NP stations but everyone saying sure but not in our back yard.

Of course that is about the same time Sydney invested in the must have water desalinator... Anyone know how much a year that thing costs to sit there turned off?

As I said no one likes to admit to being conned but please someone show me that I am wrong.

Oh and a tax on carbon. See even the government jumped in to take advantage of the con...

So the data tells us things are hotting up. What will we do? Introduce a tax, go nuclear, buy a water front and a big house.

What about turning off lights after mid night, taking empty fridges out of office buildings, banning car racing etc.... No buy some scammers proposition so they can afford a water front or v12 car.

Respect the science but please see how it is used to con the mob.
Alex

[clive milne]

Originally Posted by pgc hunter

btw, Perth has had a below avg summer. Funny how there is nary a peep out of the likes of you when temps are cooler. Explain that please.

Johnnie Cochran, eat your heart out...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwdba9C2G14

[casstony]

Originally Posted by Orionskies

Just accept the science and let's move onto a fair solution.
Cheers
Julian

Yes, they've done half the job with solar for instance. They subsidized panels until the panels were cheap enough to be economic on their own. Now subsidise batteries to speed up their installation, getting rid of the problem with the evening peak. Then our battery is available to charge our electric car a few years down the track.

Keep some coal fired base load around for as long as needed but make full use of renewables.

It's a shame our govt didn't have the foresight to help set up solar industries in Australia in research and manufacture of the products used, adding to employment opportunities here. I suppose there is some consolation in the thought that profits will go to Elon Musk so he can do more spacey things.