"Temperate" southwest Australia's winter is so mild, it's ridiculous, unfair... and I'm loving it! (climate, hot)

[ColdCanadian]

Considering where I am isn't warm enough for Australians to consider it sub-tropical, it is ridiculous.

Honestly, in their entire weather spectrum between mid-summer into mid-winter,
I've felt a seasonal change akin to "Toronto-July" to "Toronto-September."

Mos flowers are still in bloom,
Most of the bugs are still happy and singing
A thick sweater and a hot cup of coffee usually fixes winter cold-discomfort outdoors.
Some people are still in shorts and t-shirts.
Some people are still braving a swim in the ocean wearing just a bathing suit.
For anyone somewhat-obsessed with gardening with a strong preference for warmth
there really is no advantage to a North American-style four-season climate.

I would rather be in Australind in the dead of winter
than in Birmingham, Alabama (similar latitude ) in late-October!

Feel free to comment as you wish,
or take this thread off on a fun tangent.

[recycled]

OK, I had to look at a map to see exactly where you are. It's south of Perth and not far inland from the Indian Ocean, and has frontage on a coastal inlet. It is at latitude 33 south and my town in Southern California is at 33 north latitude. I live 23 kilometers / 15 miles west of the coast, and I see Australind is just a bit closer to the ocean coast. I get by comfortably year round with very minimal use of heat or air conditioning - I am guessing that Australind has similar conditions. The lowest temps of the winter here are a few overnight events where it is just below 40F/4C. Flowers bloom year round. I am guessing that Indian Ocean water temps average a bit warmer than Pacific Ocean water temps off the coast of Southern California. With prevailing winds from the west, that would explain why it is so mild in Australind.

[deneb78]

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

Considering where I am isn't warm enough for Australians to consider it sub-tropical, it is ridiculous.

Honestly, in their entire weather spectrum between mid-summer into mid-winter,
I've felt a seasonal change akin to "Toronto-July" to "Toronto-September."

Mos flowers are still in bloom,
Most of the bugs are still happy and singing
A thick sweater and a hot cup of coffee usually fixes winter cold-discomfort outdoors.
Some people are still in shorts and t-shirts.
Some people are still braving a swim in the ocean wearing just a bathing suit.
For anyone somewhat-obsessed with gardening with a strong preference for warmth
there really is no advantage to a North American-style four-season climate.

I would rather be in Australind in the dead of winter
than in Birmingham, Alabama (similar latitude ) in late-October!

Feel free to comment as you wish,
or take this thread off on a fun tangent.

Sounds awesome!! I guess your first hand experience of both the Southern US and Australia blows Wavehunter's theory out of the water that somehow the Southern US at the same latitude is warmer and more subtropical than Southern Australia in the winter

[Desertstorm]

Sounds great! Glad you're enjoying our country

One thing I like about living here is even in middle of winter you'll get several days that are pleasantly warm and sunny, far more than at equivalent latitudes in the northern hemisphere during winter. I live in the northwestern corner of Victoria (south 34°20') and June had an average max temp of 17.8C /64F with a total of 204 hours of sunshine

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by Desertstorm

Sounds great! Glad you're enjoying our country

One thing I like about living here is even in middle of winter you'll get several days that are pleasantly warm and sunny, far more than at equivalent latitudes in the northern hemisphere during winter. I live in the northwestern corner of Victoria (south 34°20') and June had an average max temp of 17.8C /64F with a total of 204 hours of sunshine

Are you in Mildura?
I learned about Mildura as an old City-Data member from Melbourne used to boast about it.


The southeastern USA also gets nice mild spells as does southern Oz,
just the chilly periods are exceptionally tame comparatively.

My first morning in Alabama, ever, was in late-October camping.
I woke up to 1 C (33-34 F) and a thick fog, visibility about 100 feet (less than 40 metres)
That fog added to that temp was insane; felt like -5 C in Toronto!
*Welcome to mid-autumn in the USA's Sunbelt?*

I would assume that the southeastern USA at a similar latitude
has a stronger possibility of seeing a high below 55 F (13 C) in late-October (when they average a high of 67-71 F/19-21 C)
than most of southern Australia does in winter. The southeastern USA's temperatures are very fickle, outside the summer season.

[Desertstorm]

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

Are you in Mildura?
I learned about Mildura as an old City-Data member from Melbourne used to boast about it.

Yes. Known for being sunnier than the Gold Coast lol Nice town though, good place if you are a fan of the Palm tree, Houseboats and the river. Nothing beats a lazy stroll down the river bank or casting the fishing rod There is even an extensive bit of sandy "beach" on an island in the river! As a gastropod, Several good restaurants can be found and all the usual fast food joints are thankfully present. Not a bad joint, the country lifestyle can't be beat. Aussies out in the country tend to be a lot friendlier than in the city.

The southeastern USA also gets nice mild spells as does southern Oz,
just the chilly periods are exceptionally tame comparatively.

My first morning in Alabama, ever, was in late-October camping.
I woke up to 1 C (33-34 F) and a thick fog, visibility about 100 feet (less than 40 metres)
That fog added to that temp was insane; felt like -5 C in Toronto!
*Welcome to mid-autumn in the USA's Sunbelt?*

I would assume that the southeastern USA at a similar latitude
has a stronger possibility of seeing a high below 55 F (13 C) in late-October (when they average a high of 67-71 F/19-21 C)
than most of southern Australia does in winter. The southeastern USA's temperatures are very fickle, outside the summer season.

That's right, as hot as SE USA is in summer in the 35 degree lat range, their winters are definately colder than Australia at similar latitudes. Interestingly, they seem to get isolated high temps a fair bit higher, but for the most part its colder. here it's much more consistant. Here in Mildura temps above 20C in July may occur only 2-3 times, and usually its only just above, while somewhere in the Carolinas or Georgia or Tennessee for example may see it well above 25C in the right conditions. Conversely daytime max temps below 10C are next to impossible here and in any given year you have essentially a 0% chance of such an occurance. In the aforementioned US locations though... it's a part and parcel of winter.

Summers on the other hand are more consistantly hot there than here...although we'll get temps in the 45-50C range occur at least once every summer with the occasional bout of extreme night time temps here. New Years this year.... 36C at 1am, with lightning flickering in the distance. I seem to remember a thunderstorm that blew in right after and cooled it to 22C by sunrise But also, max temps below 25C can and do occur in high summer and are not seen as unusual as cold fronts occasionally blow in from the Southern Ocean. The cooler temps are welcome and tend to result in very clear conditions with deep blue skies.

Must be a bit of a shock going to a winter 15C warmer than that of Toronto! Great to here you are enjoying our country and are making the most of your stay How are you finding it, weather aside? How does it compare to Canada?

[LurkerOfFate]

Well here on the East Coast it is seriously starting to drop in temperature. Lucky for us, there hasn't been a cloud in sight for around a week or so.

[tom77falcons]

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

Are you in Mildura?
I learned about Mildura as an old City-Data member from Melbourne used to boast about it.


The southeastern USA also gets nice mild spells as does southern Oz,
just the chilly periods are exceptionally tame comparatively.

My first morning in Alabama, ever, was in late-October camping.
I woke up to 1 C (33-34 F) and a thick fog, visibility about 100 feet (less than 40 metres)
That fog added to that temp was insane; felt like -5 C in Toronto!
*Welcome to mid-autumn in the USA's Sunbelt?*

I would assume that the southeastern USA at a similar latitude
has a stronger possibility of seeing a high below 55 F (13 C) in late-October (when they average a high of 67-71 F/19-21 C)
than most of southern Australia does in winter. The southeastern USA's temperatures are very fickle, outside the summer season.

I've been saying this adinfinitum on this forum as I've spent time in Jackson, MS in winter. Wavehunters ridiculous claims of " fleeting" cold is laughable. Normal highs in the southern US in winter are just the averages of very large temp variations. Jackson, MS had cold waves just as bitter and nasty as Philadelphia, PA albeit a tad few degrees warmer. The "subtropical" US is not the place to go to escape ol man winter, despite the spin wavehunter puts on the climate there. Funny to me how we don't hear a peep out of him during the typically brutal cold outbreaks in the US during winter.

[Asagi]

I'd rather be in Perth then Houston...much more stable winters.

Pictures around the garden - PalmTalk

[dhdh]

I'm really happy for you CC ! especially that I know you moved there partly (mostly?) for climatic reasons and that I did the same thing myself last winter, though only temporarily, and I know in that case your expectations about weather are high ! And I can understand as well how "shocking" it can be to experience a winter 15 degrees warmer than in your previous place (as for myself it was 30 degrees warmer ! - from a 1°C average high in December 2011 in Lille, to a 30°C average high in Jan in Singapore )

Congratulations