Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Snow in early December in the Alps is not that unusual. I think it was exactly this time of year - early December - when I was in Cradle. It IS possible for us to have a white Christmas in parts of Australia, though rare!
Many Americans get their view of Australia from the Mad Max movies and it's always hot there.
While I have never been there, I always assumed the Snowy Mountains were named that for a reason: http://www.photographsofaustralia.co...t_IMG_1618.jpg
No, I think that by global standards, Australia actually is very consistently warm - even in winter it's still mild.
What annoys me more is when Australians whine about our winter being "freezing" or "cold". It's not even close. Most of the major cities in this country BARELY manage to get below 10 degrees in winter, while it is common for a lot of European and North American cities to get well below 0 degrees. 10-15 degrees in winter to people in this country is "freezing", but really we have no reason to complain, because it's comparatively weak to winters experience elsewhere. For example, Chicago frequently records winter temperatures around -7 degrees. Even the milder West Coast cities experience temperatures below 0, including San Francisco. Yet we sit indoors with our heaters on full blast during winter, clocking up massive bills, even when the temperature is still double digits!
An Australian's mentality would be: "it's freezing cold at 14 degrees, let's put the heater on and leave it running." I'm sure a New Yorker would love a 14 degree day in their icy white winters.
You live near a ski resort? Well… congratulations. The point being is that most of our cities never receive any appreciable snowfall, except light dustings in Canberra.
I just dislike Australians who think that our winters are something to fuss about. They are nothing, believe me. I'd like a damn proper winter (with snow!) to hit Australia for once… instead of this weak crap we experience. But the likelihood of that is very small. I like proper seasonal progression and we don't get that much here with our evergreens and constant sunshine.
No, I think that by global standards, Australia actually is very consistently warm - even in winter it's still mild.
What annoys me more is when Australians whine about our winter being "freezing" or "cold". It's not even close. Most of the major cities in this country BARELY manage to get below 10 degrees in winter, while it is common for a lot of European and North American cities to get well below 0 degrees. 10-15 degrees in winter to people in this country is "freezing", but really we have no reason to complain, because it's comparatively weak to winters experience elsewhere. For example, Chicago frequently records winter temperatures around -7 degrees. Even the milder West Coast cities experience temperatures below 0, including San Francisco. Yet we sit indoors with our heaters on full blast during winter, clocking up massive bills, even when the temperature is still double digits!
An Australian's mentality would be: "it's freezing cold at 14 degrees, let's put the heater on and leave it running." I'm sure a New Yorker would love a 14 degree day in their icy white winters.
You live near a ski resort? Well… congratulations. The point being is that most of our cities never receive any appreciable snowfall, except light dustings in Canberra.
I just dislike Australians who think that our winters are something to fuss about. They are nothing, believe me. I'd like a damn proper winter (with snow!) to hit Australia for once… instead of this weak crap we experience. But the likelihood of that is very small. I like proper seasonal progression and we don't get that much here with our evergreens and constant sunshine.
Well yes, most of our major cities have winters that are very mild by American standards. Think southern California or the Gulf coast. People have this idea that Melbourne is so cold but winters there are about as cold as San Francisco or Austin, Texas. However, one thing I will say, most homes in Australia have no central heating and a lot of people, myself included, do not feel the need for any heating in winter. In fact, I often go around with a single layer on in winter in Perth (not Melbourne though), when days often hit 20C/68F. In contrast, central heating is the norm in colder northern hemisphere climates, so people are not used to indoor cold at all. Like I said, my house in Bridgetown was sometimes not much warmer than the outside, I'm sure anyone used to a nice warm toasty house would complain about it. Temperatures would get into the single digits indoors. When I was in Italy recently I noticed the Italians seemed to overdress when it wasn't even that cold. First day in Rome it was a toasty 24'C (unseasonably warm for November) yet people were out in those padded jackets.etc! Our guide explained that Italians dress for the season - even if it's warm outside, they have this idea that since it's November one should dress like it's November regardless if it's unseasonably warm. The weather in Italy wasn't that cold, typical winter temperatures in southern Australia, yet ironically, it was the Aussies who tended to dress lighter, some even wearing T-shirts and stuff, while Americans from places like Buffalo were rugged up. Okay there was a group from Pittsburgh who also wore just t-shirts or even singlets, but they were a little on the chubby side.
But yeah, I still think Aussies are weak when it comes to cold and complain too much. But just pointing out that many Canadians or Europeans or Japanese aren't so 'tough' either. Like in Perth a few nights ago my Canadian friend needed a jacket, while I found it very nice, and other times I've had people from Japan complain it was cold when I barely felt a hint of coolness (we're talking about 18-19C with a breeze at night). Tokyo's winters are colder than any Australian capital. But OTOH, when i've been to really cold places I have found it trying, but mainly because I wasn't dressed properly. I dressed barely much warmer than I would on a cold winter's day in Perth, which was entirely inadequate.
No, I think that by global standards, Australia actually is very consistently warm - even in winter it's still mild.
What annoys me more is when Australians whine about our winter being "freezing" or "cold". It's not even close. Most of the major cities in this country BARELY manage to get below 10 degrees in winter, while it is common for a lot of European and North American cities to get well below 0 degrees. 10-15 degrees in winter to people in this country is "freezing", but really we have no reason to complain, because it's comparatively weak to winters experience elsewhere. For example, Chicago frequently records winter temperatures around -7 degrees. Even the milder West Coast cities experience temperatures below 0, including San Francisco. Yet we sit indoors with our heaters on full blast during winter, clocking up massive bills, even when the temperature is still double digits!
An Australian's mentality would be: "it's freezing cold at 14 degrees, let's put the heater on and leave it running." I'm sure a New Yorker would love a 14 degree day in their icy white winters.
You live near a ski resort? Well… congratulations. The point being is that most of our cities never receive any appreciable snowfall, except light dustings in Canberra.
I just dislike Australians who think that our winters are something to fuss about. They are nothing, believe me. I'd like a damn proper winter (with snow!) to hit Australia for once… instead of this weak crap we experience. But the likelihood of that is very small. I like proper seasonal progression and we don't get that much here with our evergreens and constant sunshine.
Yep. We certainly do get our fair share of harsh weather conditions, but its not winter and its not in the southern parts of the continent.
While in Chicago, Boston, NYC & Washington DC last month I was surprised to see so many people getting around rugged up in big jackets etc. While I was getting around comfortably in Jeans & T shirt. Most days were in the 60s!!!
I would have thought people from the Northern states would have been a bit tougher on such mild days lol
Almost nowhere on the Australian mainland is immune from extreme heat. Melbourne, at the very south of the continent, has hit 46.4C.
Yes, Melbourne like most of the south east can get really hot on occasions, but its certainly not the hottest part of the country. And no cyclones either..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
