Latest news with #JessicaLingard
ABC News
3 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Australia has up to 80 tornadoes a year, but many go unseen
When most people think of tornadoes, it's probably the striking and terrifying images from Tornado Alley in the United States. But did you know Australia records anywhere between 30 and 80 tornadoes each year? The weather events are rarely caught on camera, but earlier this week, several people filmed a tornado as it cut a path across farmland near Frankland River in southern Western Australia. With winds of more than 120kph, it pinned a farm worker against a fence, flipping his ute and damaging a tractor. Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) meteorologist Jessica Lingard said there were two types of tornadoes, with one more violent. "The first are supercell tornadoes and those spawn from supercell thunderstorms, which are the most severe form of thunderstorms," she said. "They result in our warm season tornadoes [and] usually occur during summer months." These are the tornado types that appear in the United States, some of the largest and most damaging in the world. "The other type are non-supercell tornadoes, and these usually occur along the boundaries of two air masses, like a cold front or a sea breeze," Ms Lingard said. This week's tornado in southern WA was the latter type. "Australia experiences somewhere between 30 and 80 tornadoes each year, but it is possible that many more tornadoes occur in the more remote and unpopulated parts of Australia and therefore go unreported," Ms Lingard said. The BOM has recorded rare "tornado outbreaks" in Australia where multiple tornadoes spawn from a single weather system. On September 28, 2016, seven tornadoes hit South Australia, causing mass blackouts. "There's no area in Australia that's more prone to tornadoes, but we do experience different areas of Australia having tornadoes under different circumstances," Ms Lingard said. Supercell thunderstorms, which can produce tornadoes, are most common in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, and develop generally in late spring and early summer. The Enhanced Fujita scale ranges from EF0, the weakest, to EF5. The Frankland River tornado is believed to have been EF0. "Each category has a wind speed range and a list of typical damage patterns that we would expect," Ms Lingard said. She said most tornadoes recorded in Australia were rated between EF0 and EF1. Ms Lingard said a tornado that hit northern NSW in 1970 was considered the strongest on record. Known as the Bulahdelah tornado, it reportedly left a 22 kilometre trail of destruction more than 1.5km wide. "It wasn't officially rated but we estimate from the damage that it was likely to be an EF5 system," she said. "From all reports, it destroyed 1 million trees, and we also saw a 2-tonne tractor lifted up and thrown on its roof." The first tornado documented on camera in Australia was in 1911 near Marong in Victoria. It touched down near the property of a man who happened to have a camera — a rare piece of technology at the time. There are many kinds of tornado-like weather, and they are different. "A waterspout is a non-supercell tornado that occurs over water," Ms Lingard said. "Willy willies or dust devils form on clear days over hot, dry surfaces, and they are rapidly rising hot air, but they are not attached to a cloud over the top." A "cock-eyed" or "cockeye bob", while commonly thought to refer to a tornado or willy willy specifically, is actually Australian slang for any suddenly occurring storm. Ms Lingard said there was no evidence to suggest Australia was experiencing more tornadoes. But she said a growing population, armed with phone cameras, meant the storms that did happen were better documented. "Everyone's got a camera in their back pocket and access to social media to share these events," she said. This seems to be a frustration for meteorologists, with the term "mini tornado" often used in the media. "It's one of those terms that the media love to use. It either is a tornado or it isn't," Ms Lingard said. It may be surprising news, but Ms Lingard said in terms of tornadoes per square kilometre, the United Kingdom recorded the most. "Based on land size, the UK gets an average of about 33 tornadoes each year," she said. But in terms of sheer volume, tornadoes are most common in the US. "The US obviously holds the title of the country with the most overall tornadoes and the most intense, and they report well over 1,000 tornadoes a year," Ms Lingard said.
West Australian
27-05-2025
- Climate
- West Australian
Port Beach Polar Bears: Dozens of swimmers take the plunge as temperatures dip to single digits
Introducing the Port Beach Polar Bears — a 250-strong group of ocean enthusiasts who take a dip every day of the year at sunrise no matter how cold it is. Since the early 1990's, the group has been gathering at Port Beach every morning for a 15 to 30 minute early morning dip. President Col Werner has been part of the Polar Bears for about 15 years and says he takes the plunge up to four days a week. 'It's not always about having a swim, sometimes it's for older members who don't have great mobility access and they just dip in the water,' the 54-year-old said. 'The hardest part is getting in the water ... once you're in, it clears out the noise.' He said ocean swimming was all about stress relief, admitting 'I always come out of the water better than I went in'. 'We all carry some kind of stress with us, but you have to be able to release it,' he said. '(Swimming) is about releasing that stress and feeling really good and healthy, because health isn't just about your physical health, it's about your mental health as well. 'When I swim, I just focus on letting go of whatever tension I've got and just let go.' Mr Werner said the trick to braving the cold was learning how to breathe. 'Taking short, sharp breaths is the way to get your mind to stop thinking,' he said. 'The trick is to not let your mind take over.' It comes as Perth shivers through a wave of icy mornings, with the mercury dipping to just 4.2C and 6C on Monday and Tuesday respectively. Meteorologist Jessica Lingard said chilly mornings were typical for this time of year but were a shock to the system given the warm start to May. 'We've had a very warm start to May and a very dry one as well,' she said. 'We're starting to slowly come into some cooler temperatures which are typical for this time of year, but they certainly feel a little jarring, especially (compared) to the start of May being so warm.' She said West Australians could expect mild mornings and rainfall over the next few days, thanks to extra cloud coverage. 'We're going to see some increased rainfall towards the end of the week and into the early parts of next week, which means there's going to be plenty of cloud around ... so temperatures won't be as cold over the next few nights,' she said. 'But certainly, as we move into June and July, we typically see our coldest nights of the year, so we are going to have to get used to a few more of these fresh mornings.' Wednesday: 9C - 23C, mostly sunny Thursday: 11C - 22C, showers Friday: 13C - 22C, showers Saturday: 13C - 21C, showers Sunday: 11C - 22C, showers Monday: 12C - 21C, showers
