Latest news with #GreatDividingRange
ABC News
20-07-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Mansfield installs weather station to bypass unreliable BOM forecasts
A new weather station at Mansfield in north-east Victoria could close a critical forecasting gap, offering residents more accurate data for the first time. Mansfield Shire Council Mayor Steve Rabie, who has lived in the region since 1983, said the council-operated station would provide an invaluable service to the community. Mansfield's position in the foothills of the Victorian Alps and its proximity to the Great Dividing Range have made weather forecasting in the region a challenge. Residents have had to rely on data from the Bureau of Meteorology's (BOM) closest station at the Eildon Fire Tower, about 28 kilometres away and at a significantly different altitude, making weather reports notoriously unreliable. The gap was highlighted when a storm cell tore through the area in August last year, and the bureau had to rely on readings from the Eildon station and satellite imagery to confirm that the storm was, in fact, a tornado. "Having our own dedicated station means our farmers, event organisers, sporting clubs, and residents can access real-time data and forecasts that are truly local," Cr Rabie said. The new solar-powered station is equipped with sensors measuring wind direction and speed, rainfall, temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and UV radiation. To make the data publicly accessible, Mansfield Shire Council launched a local weather webpage providing real-time conditions, daily summaries and historical data. It also offers eight-day forecasts, using an artificial intelligence system developed by meteorologist and TV weather presenter Jane Bunn. Ms Bunn said the system used information from a variety of sources to provide more accurate forecasts. "It's really important to make sure you are … not putting all your eggs in the one wet basket, so to speak," she said. "By using AI, it enables us to do that in a much better way. "Before … it took a long time to do, so much so that the forecasts, for example, that the bureau put out are already out of date before you receive them because it takes them so long to process that data. "What we can do with machine learning and AI is speed up that process really considerably." Mansfield Farmers' Market organiser Alli Walker welcomed the development. Mansfield farmer Tony Tehan pushed to get a station set up in town for years and reached out to both the council and the BOM about it. He said it had been very frustrating. "I got sick of getting forecasts from Eildon, which is 20 or 30 kilometres away from Mansfield," Mr Tehan said. He said more accurate weather data would help him plan when to spray crops and put down fertiliser. "If it's too hot or too cold the sprays do not operate efficiently," Mr Tehan said. "It's [also] good to know what the 24-hour rainfall is. It affects runoff into dams and all that sort of thing. Despite the BOM being unable to integrate third-party stations into its network, Cr Rabie said the new local service would complement the broader-scale work of the bureau. Mansfield is not the only regional community stepping up when official services fall short. Independent, smaller weather stations are becoming a viable option for regional councils, filling gaps the BOM is unable to reach. Last year, a resident in Gracetown, Western Australia, built a weather station to deliver more accurate reports tailored to the town. A BOM spokesperson said the bureau could not comment on third-party services, but worked with all levels of government to provide weather advice "in the lead-up to or during severe weather". "The bureau carefully considers the latest observations and model guidance to provide products and information that support the community to prepare and respond to hazardous weather events," the spokesperson said. "Communities are advised to stay up to date with the bureau's forecasts and warnings via our website and the BOM Weather app and to always follow the advice of emergency services."
ABC News
24-06-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Bureau of Meteorology predicts snowy Wednesday from Tasmania to central NSW
Snow is forecast to fall in three states and the ACT on Wednesday as a very cold polar air mass surges north across south-east Australia. The snow will follow the passage of powerful cold fronts, which are also delivering much-needed rain, along with small hail and thunderstorms. Along with the icy soaking, the system has triggered multiple warnings for wind and coastal hazards, including a blizzard warning for alpine regions as gales combine with snow to reduce visibility below 200 metres. However, snow won't just be confined to the Australian Alps, thanks to the arrival of a frigid air mass, which just 48 hours ago was located just off the Antarctic coast. The frigid sub-Antarctic air will reach Tasmania and Victoria this afternoon, followed by NSW tonight. This will cause temperatures to plummet, dropping the snow level well below the alpine environment. For Tasmania, snowfalls can be expected above an elevation of about 500m, blanketing much of the mountainous inland, although the only true town above this height is Waratah in the state's north-west. Victoria can also expect a lowering snow level today, and while the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) predicts flakes as low as 600m this afternoon, snow should remain above 700 to 800m in most areas, which exceeds the height of the state's non-alpine towns. However, it's NSW which has larger population centres at a higher altitude — and as the cold air sweeps north, dozens of locations along the Great Dividing Range should be dusted in white. The BOM are forecasting a snow level later tonight from about 700 to 800m on the southern and central NSW ranges (and the ACT). At this elevation, towns with at least 1,000 residents that are likely to see snow include: Predicting the amount of snow that falls is more challenging; however, modelling is suggesting for most areas an accumulation of below 5 centimetres. For alpine areas, though, continuous snowfalls since yesterday are repairing substantial damage to the cover from up to 90 millimetres of rain on Monday night. Snow will continue across the Alps today, bringing the storm total to around 50cm for most major ski resorts. The upside to the vigorous winter storm is parched southern states are receiving another burst of drought relief. An initial front brought moderate totals to southern SA, north-east Victoria and southern NSW — including in the 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday: Showers and the odd storm continued through Tuesday as the second front arrived with another 5 to 15mm falling by sunset across south-east SA and south-west Victoria. The ongoing showery days this June have brought the wettest month in up to two years for parts of Australia's southern coastline — for example, Mount Gambier's this month has received more than 115mm, the city's highest total since June 2023. A wintry mix of showers, storms, and small hail will continue across south-east states today before rapidly easing tonight as the polar air mass moves off the east coast. Winds will also ease by tomorrow, after damaging gusts of 100 kilometres an hour whip parts of the NSW coast and ranges today.
