SOUTHWESTERLIES

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Wed 23/04/2003 10:46

In Auckland when we get a SW we always get wind,cloud and showers no matter how light the flow is-With "anticyclone southwestelies what is the weather like generally around the country?(not those cold SW eg that Canterbury gets when its really a southerly over the country but the SW when a high pressure just sits in the tasman with a weak ridge to the NW of the country?)

Manukau heads obs · Wed 23/04/2003 18:49

its called anticyclonic gloom
i.e an inverison layer traps moisture picked up off the tasman, and you get the cloud layer...
the inversion is caused by the sinking air of the high warming up , and drying out (relatively) as it compresses....and that traps cooler and moister air below it

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Thu 08/05/2003 13:30

The awful Sou'wester here has started to blow today-the rain shouldn't be too far away now

TonyT · Unread post by **TonyT** » Thu 08/05/2003 14:50

Michael wrote:The awful Sou'wester here has started to blow today-the rain shouldn't be too far away now

If it makes you so miserable why dont you move?

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Tue 13/05/2003 12:00

15 knot southerlies and mostly fine weather Huh?
Its about 25Knots from the southwest here today and is supposed to be mostly fine.
Well thats not the way either being almost overcast all morning,cold and now showers developing.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Tue 13/05/2003 14:30

Not been to bad of a day here. Just around 08knots, 2/8 cloud cover, 17C.
I notice Sw18kts down at the airport. Thats the classic Manukau Harbour affect in a southwester.

I think it will be more overcast tomorrow with hint of a shower.

Manukau heads obs · Tue 13/05/2003 17:04

highest average here today was 20 knots, gusting to 27 knots
(that at a height of a 10 m mast, but at only 50 feet above sea level in a large open valley only 2km from the coast line)
i.e a strong wind
but it was so normal I didnt even take any notice.
this is the normal SW conditions we get here from the SW, with cloudy periods and at times threatening to spit with rain (which it did at one stage)
and yes i agree steven, could be a few brief light showers tomorrow...

The highest speeds I have recorded from the SW are winds averging 45 knots, and regularly gusting to 65 knots, with peak gust to 75 knots
now that is windy

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Wed 28/05/2003 12:56

The wind has gone to that horrible direction up here now

Manukau heads obs · Wed 28/05/2003 13:21

and its picking up all the time now

about time the good old faithfull SWer was back
could be here until sunday!

Dean. · Unread post by **Dean.** » Wed 28/05/2003 19:17

Thunder · Unread post by **Thunder** » Wed 28/05/2003 22:00

I suspected this subject was going to come up with the SW system over us at present <G>.

Cheers
Aaron Wilkinson

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Thu 29/05/2003 12:58

Here we go again! Random fast moving Clouds and a cold wind reminding rain not too far away spoiling the sunshine earlier this morning

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Thu 29/05/2003 17:58

Positive things about Stratocumulus

1 stops you getting sun burnt in summer

2 Not a rain bearing cloud. Won't wash the cricket out.

3 Holds up night time temperatures.

4 helps to keep summer temperatures nice and cool. Means the ice cream won't melt on the cone before you have finished it.

5 No sun strike when your out driving.

6 so many more reasons....

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Fri 30/05/2003 10:43

Its a really shocking day here today -

Its blowing its guts out,Horizontal rain and overcast and rather cold-typical SW'er

This Post gives me an "outlet" to vent my frustration at this kind of weather

Thunder · Unread post by **Thunder** » Fri 30/05/2003 17:01

No doubt Micheal I'll be doing the same as you are here when it becomes summer here in Chch again and the dam NE comes in with wofty looking cloud that frustrates me. Anticyclone gloom I believe it is called.

cheers
Aaron Wilkinson

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Fri 30/05/2003 17:29

Aaron You'll have to make a post "NORTHEASTERLIES"

"when the Upper N'West flow goes over the top or don't reach the coast"

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Fri 30/05/2003 17:34

No doubt the southwester spoils Aucklands weather. We have good shelter from the Sth and SE but really exposed to the SW which happens to be a prevailing wind direction, more in spring/early summer. We are a west coast climate. The other great Australiasian city that cops the southwester in Melbourne. I think they get it worse than Auckland.
And Adelaide too.

Personally I like the SW when it is unstable. I have observed Thunderstorms in unstable southwesters which makes them a good wind in my book.

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Fri 30/05/2003 18:42

The sort of SW that give more thunderstorms are usually derived more from a southerly below Taupo when theres snow in Waiouru from them-The way this ones going due to the broadness of the high in the tasman will probaby bring a front then perhaps a NW flow then quickly back SW with frontal showers mostly to the far south,west and north and probably little from Northern Otago to Gisborne ,Nelson,Wellington,BOP.
The SW this time last year were more unsettled due to the low vortex rotating south of the chathams.

drdisk · Unread post by **drdisk** » Fri 30/05/2003 19:05

Hey you blokes, we have a South Westerly blowing here in Shatin, HK at the moment also, but other details are slightly different: Temp 31.4C Heat Index 35.7C, RH 60%, 12.0 km/h fromSW, pressure 1004.2 HPa.
Summer's coming on all too quickly. And this'll be the fifteenth one in a row that we have goe through in torrid Hong Kong.
Just lend us a bit of that cooler stuff if you've got any to spare.

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Fri 30/05/2003 19:27

Please do a swap

We were lucky to reach 28C here in summer then we pay again with another week of fronts/wind etc.

Summer here didn't begin till after Xmas here due to the Southwesterlies.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Fri 30/05/2003 19:30

Hi Phil

31.4C look nice from this end.

You must be getting lot of storms now to cool things down a bit.

Cheers

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Fri 30/05/2003 19:31

When does your SW Monsoon start? Your thunderstorm activity is normally July/August?
It gets pretty hot there before the monsoon starts

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Fri 30/05/2003 19:38

Latest Hong Kong metar

VHHH 300700Z 25005KT 200V290 4800 HZ FEW025 BKN090 32/22 Q1004 NOSIG

Looks overcast and hazy according to metar. Visability 4800m which is quite low and smoggy.

drdisk · Unread post by **drdisk** » Fri 30/05/2003 20:54

Yeah, it's very murky and smoggy out there at present. I work in a place without any windows so I check the webcam at http://www.weather.org.hk/data/webcam/dclive_640.jpg every so often to see if the world still exists outside.
I mean the school classrooms have windows, but the Computer Lab I work in has absolutely none.
Regarding monsoons, our winter monsoon, which is sunny, cold and very dry, blows from the NE and we were having a late visitation from it yesterday.
The Summer monsoon tends to be moist and humid and blows from the SW. It's just getting into gear again this arvo.
We get typhoons (US = "Huricanes", OZ = "Tropical Cyclones") every year during Summer and Autumn to cool us off a bit. They can drop the temperature all the way down to 25C, but the humidity stays up there near 100% so without the wind there would not be much relief.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Fri 30/05/2003 21:30

Thanks for that URL

I see what you mean by murky.

I have seen smog like that in London but we definatly don't get that kind of weather in NZ. I have never been to HK.

Lifted index for HK today is minus 1.5 so you may have a storm on the way.

Cheers

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SOUTHWESTERLIES

SOUTHWESTERLIES

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