Australian Summers Now 31 Days Longer

[Occams Barber]

ABC (Australia)
2 March 2020

Summers are now twice as long as winters in all Australian capital cities, report finds

Australian summers have become, on average, 31 days longer in Australia's capital cities, and in regional areas that number is even higher according to a new report.

Researchers at the Australia Institute crunched Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) data from between 1999 to 2018 and compared it with Australian weather records from 1950 to 1969.

The analysis found all Australian capital cities experienced longer summers and shorter winters, with summer 31 days longer and winter three weeks shorter than in the 50s and 60s.

Sydney now has an extra 28 days of summer and 15 fewer days of winter compared to the 50s and 60s

In regional areas the trend was even more pronounced — including the NSW regional centre of Port Macquarie, on the Mid-North Coast – where summers have increased by 48 days.

OB

ABC article: Summers are now twice as long as winters in all Australian capital cities, report finds - ABC News

Report Summary: Australian Summer Now Over One Month Longer

Original Report PDF: https://www.tai.org.au/sites/defaul...t/australian-summer-now-over-one-month-longer

 

[Sabertooth]

By "summer," do you mean "warm days" or the time between your summer solstice and your autumnal equinox?

 

[Occams Barber]

By "summer," do you mean "warm days" or the time between your summer solstice and your autumnal equinox?

Summer/Winter in Australia is not defined by solstice/equinox. All seasons traditionally start on the first day of a month and end, three months later, on the last day of the month.

It's based on comparing average daily temperatures, in the 1950s and 1960s, for the start/end of the standard calendrical season (for example - summer traditionally starts here on 1 December) with the time of year these same averages happen in the current decade.

This is the detailed explanation from the Methodology section the full report (page 43):

In each era (1950-1969 or 1999-2018), the average temperature line in the graph above was calculated as follows:

1. For each date (e.g. 15 July 1950), calculate the average of the observed daily maximum and daily minimum temperatures (the Daily Mean Temperature (DMT)).
2. For each day of the year (such as 15 July) in each of the two decade eras, calculate the mean of the DMTs on that day across all years in the era (The Average Daily Mean Temperature (ADMT))
3. For each day of the year, calculating the mean of all ADMTs within 10 days of each day in each era (the Average Temperature (AT)). For example, the AT for 15 July in the era 1950-1969 is the mean of all ADMTs between 5 July and 25 July across all 20 years.
4. The start of each season (autumn, winter, spring, summer) for any given era is defined as being the first day of the year when the AT line crosses the corresponding AT for 1 March, 1 June, 1 September and 1 December in the reference period 1950/1969.​

OB

 

[loveofourlord]

a interesting simular thing to look into would be the average wet and dry seasons in africa.

 

[Occams Barber]

a interesting simular thing to look into would be the average wet and dry seasons in africa.

A little under half of Australia is above the 25 degree South parallel, is rated tropical and has a wet and dry season. Since this tropical area doesn't have the typical four seasons it wasn't included. The study used data from 70 weather stations located below the 25th parallel in temperate and sub-tropical Australia.

https://www.tai.org.au/sites/defaul...t/australian-summer-now-over-one-month-longer (Page 6)

The problem with measurements associated with wet and dry seasons is the lack of a defined, standard end and start date. The wet starts when it starts.

OB

 

[Ophiolite]

Summers are now twice as long as winters in all Australian capital cities, report finds

Has the consumption of "frosties" risen in parallel with this? If not, why not? The citizenry of the world demand to know!

 

[Occams Barber]

Has the consumption of "frosties" risen in parallel with this? If not, why not? The citizenry of the world demand to know!

Frosties?

Do you mean the breakfast cereal?

OB

 

[loveofourlord]

A little under half of Australia is above the 25 degree South parallel, is rated tropical and has a wet and dry season. Since this tropical area doesn't have the typical four seasons it wasn't included. The study used data from 70 weather stations located below the 25th parallel in temperate and sub-tropical Australia.

https://www.tai.org.au/sites/default/files/P834 Out of Season [WEB].pdf#overlay-context=content/australian-summer-now-over-one-month-longer (Page 6)

The problem with measurements associated with wet and dry seasons is the lack of a defined, standard end and start date. The wet starts when it starts.

OB

well thats why it's good, you can track how long and dry it is vs rain are the dry seasons growing while wet shrinkikng.

 

[Bob Crowley]

I live near Brisbane which has a sub-tropical climate. so I'm writing from personal experience.

I can tell you our summers have been getting hotter, and the average high temperature range has been increasing.

The following article was written nearly five years ago, and it was noticeable then.

Category: | The Courier Mail

 

[chilehed]

Frosties?

Do you mean the breakfast cereal?

OB

Ha! No, in the States those are named "Sugar Frosted Flakes". "Frostie" is the name Wendy's ( the hamburger chain) uses for their soft-serve ice cream.

 

[Subduction Zone]

I grew up in Minnesota and for me winter was the time period that there was a solid cover of snow on the ground. It went from early December to mid-April. It also used to hit -20 F (-30 C) every winter for a week or so. I understand that the snow covered periods are quite a bit shorter, and the few times it hits -20 make the national news as an "Arctic Blast" these days.

 

[Occams Barber]

Ha! No, in the States those are named "Sugar Frosted Flakes". "Frostie" is the name Wendy's ( the hamburger chain) uses for their soft-serve ice cream.

Thanks. The only Australian Wendy's I know of is an ice cream franchise started in South Australia. I looked up the U.S. Wendy's and its a different chain. I haven't heard of it in Australia although Wiki suggests we might have had one somewhere here in the past.

OB