Latest news with #winter
ABC News
12 hours ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Australian winter forecast to be warmer than usual
Senior meteorologist Jonathan How says parts of South Australia and Victoria are facing increased risk of winter bushfire due to dryness.
CTV News
13 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Sask. couple spends winter months farming chocolate ingredients in South America
WATCH: A Saskatchewan couple spend the winter months in South America farming chocolate ingredients. Mick Favel has the story.
News.com.au
14 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
How Melbourne's surprise biggest auction week could change market
Melbourne's auction market is on the cusp of generational change as the city prepares for one of its busiest starts to winter on record. Yesterday Victoria tackled the bulk of its busiest week under the hammer since spring last year, with a whopping 1477 homes slated to test the market. PropTrack figures show an initial clearance rate at 70.3 per cent from 1038 result was recorded, with a Toorak home at 34 Balmerino Ave setting the pace with a $6.11m sale that topped the market. Economist Anne Flaherty said as the third similarly strong result in as many weeks, it was a positive sign that lower interest rates and growing investor activity would keep sellers celebrating as winter kicked off. Next week a Kings Birthday public holiday on Monday has cut expected auctions to just 500. But the following week is forecast to host more than 1000, a buoyant number historically reserved for spring. Real Estate Institute of Victoria president Jacob Caine said while this weekend had been boosted by being exactly four weeks after the federal election, which had delayed many sellers from listing homes for sale, continued high numbers and clearance rates suggested the city's auction market was changing — and winter might not be the no go zone it once had been. 'We might need to adjust our expectations around when we will see peaks and troughs of auctions throughout the year,' Mr Caine said. While he said he believed buyers might still have a 'moment of opportunity' a market that was quickly swinging in sellers' favour was expected to have numbers boosted by both interest rate cuts that were driving sellers to believe there would be more buyers with deep pockets. 'Real estate agents have been having conversations with a lot of owners planning to capitalise on the interest rate cut on the assumption that it will translate into more buyers with more buying power,' Mr Caine said. 'I think there is still a slight advantage for buyers … there's still a moment of opportunity, especially for first-home buyers, before things swing back to the sellers-market trend we have had for most of the past 15 years.' Yesterday's top results included a four-bedroom house at 34 Balmerino Ave, Toorak, at $6.11m, followed by 42 Bruce St, Toorak, which sold for $6.1m. 15 Latham St, Ivanhoe, address snared a $5.32m result to round out the top three results. But not all of the top end listings were so successful. A Kew address that was slated for auction at 1.30pm had $10.5m-$11.5m hopes leading up to it going under the hammer. The 1-3 Sackville St home is now listed for private sale with a $12m asking price.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Why the direction your fan spins is key to a cooler summer
(NEXSTAR) – An often overlooked switch on ceiling fans could be the key to staying a bit cooler this summer. If you've ever taken a close look at the fan, you may have noticed a small switch located on the side of the fan base. The switch, which is found on nearly every fan, can change the direction the fan spins. Using that switch according to the season will not only keep you more comfortable, but it can also help you save money. In the summer, make sure that your fan is going in a counterclockwise direction, which forces cool air directly downward and creates a 'wind chill effect,' according to Home Depot. In the winter, you can switch it up so the fan rotates clockwise at a low speed, circulating the warm air that gets trapped near the ceiling. If you have ceiling fans as well as air conditioning, using the fan correctly will allow you to raise the thermostat by roughly 4 degrees Fahrenheit and still feel just as comfortable, according to the Department of Energy. In moderately hot weather, you may even be able to turn off the AC. The DOE reminds people to turn off fans in unoccupied rooms. If you're in the market for a ceiling fan, larger fan blades will move more air than smaller ones, but you have to make sure it's an appropriate size for the space. The Department of Energy recommends a 36- or 44-inch diameter fan for rooms up to 225 square feet. If the room is larger, consider a fan that is 52 inches or more, but keep in mind that if the room is longer than 18 feet one fan may not be enough. Ventilation with the proper fan will allow you to raise the thermostat by roughly 4 degrees without discomfort, according to the Department of Energy. Following recent trends, this summer is expected to be especially brutal, according to a forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center. The report, issued in mid-May, found that all states are favored to experience above-average summer heat. The likelihood of a scorching summer varies regionally with the following states seeing the highest probability, according to NOAA: Texas, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona and New Mexico. New England, south Florida and a large swath of the Mountain West are also at an elevated likelihood of a hotter-than-normal summer. Alix Martichoux contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Hotter and wetter winter on the cards for Australia as SA and Victoria face unseasonal fire risk
Australia's winter will be warmer and wetter this year, with higher than average day and nighttime temperatures, and above-average rainfall likely in central and interior parts of the country. The Bureau of Meteorology's long-range forecast said parts of the tropical north, south-east and south-west could expect typical winter rainfall, including coastal areas of New South Wales affected by May floods, and parts of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania where there have been prolonged dry conditions. Typical rainfall means a roughly equal chance of above, below or near-average rainfall. Areas of SA and Victoria where there has been record low rainfall also face unseasonal increased risk of fires this winter, according to Australia's fire and emergency services. The forecast follows a much wetter than average autumn for northern and eastern Australia, and a much drier one in the south. The BoM will release more detailed data in coming days but said Victoria had recorded its warmest autumn on record, NSW its second-warmest, and SA and Western Australia their third-warmest. A preliminary autumn summary said the season had been warmer than average generally, with daytime temperatures in the south and west 'very much above average'. The bureau said the above average temperatures would continue through winter, with warmer than usual minimum and maximums likely or very likely in every state and territory. 'We've pretty much got a very high chance of above average day and nighttime temperatures across the country,' senior climatologist Simon Grainger said. 'It's occurring against the background of a warmer climate globally but also we're seeing, across southern Australia in particular, persistent high pressure systems.' Grainger said those systems caused a buildup of warmer conditions and meant a decreased chance of cold fronts pushing into Australia, to bring colder air from further south. The Australian and New Zealand Council for fire and emergency services (AFAC) said the unseasonable bushfire risk potential for southern areas was driven in part by significant and persistent dry conditions. The council said there was an abundance of dry material in both grass and forest vegetation in Victoria, and southern scrub and forest areas of SA. But the council said drought conditions had reduced fire risk in pasture and crop landscapes. 'We don't normally think of winter and bushfire together in southern Australia. The prolonged drought conditions mean that communities across parts of Victoria and South Australia may see more activity than normal for this time of the year,' AFAC chief executive Rob Webb said. 'Fire authorities will monitor the landscape conditions and climate influences closely this season to manage bushfire risk and identify opportunities for mitigation activities such as planned burning.' AFAC said while long-term lack of rainfall had persisted in the south, tropical cyclone activity had continued beyond the typical end of the northern wet season, into May. The council said the higher than average pressure over the south that had contributed to the prolonged dry conditions there was consistent with longterm trends attributable to climate change. They said warmer than average sea surface temperatures were also persisting around much of the Australian coastline, leading to increased moisture and energy that could enhance the severity of storms and weather systems.
