Not a good day for flying in Melbourne today!

[Matt]

Current area forecast for Victoria:

 

OVERVIEW:

 

DANGEROUS CONDITIONS EXTENDING EAST AHEAD OF FRONT NEAR/LEE RANGES

 

WITH SIGMETS FOR SEVERE TURB AND MOUNTAIN WAVES. FRONT EXPECTED ALONG

 

YREN/WEBS 23Z, YBRN/CAMUS 05Z AND YSWG/LOLLY 11Z. PATCHY RAIN AND

 

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN 360NM E OF FRONT. AREAS OF DUST BLW

 

8000FT LAND WITHIN 200NM OF FRONT, CHIEFLY N OF RANGES. SHOWERS WITH

 

HAIL AND LOW CLOUD AND SCT THUNDERSTORMS NEAR AND WEST OF FRONT.

 

SUBDIVISIONS:

 

A: E OF FRONT

 

B: W OF FRONT

 

WIND:

 

2000 5000 7000 10000 14000 18500

 

A: 360/45 350/60 340/65 340/65 PS03 330/70 MS03 330/85 MS13

 

B: 240/30 250/40 250/45 250/45 MS09 250/45 MS19 250/35 MS28

 

Current TAF for YMML:

 

MELBOURNE (YMML)

 

TAF AMD YMML 020104Z 020124

 

36038G60KT 6000 BLOWING DUST BKN110

 

Strongest gust recorded at Melbourne Airport so far is 54KTS at 11:56.

 

Anyone wanting to test the "flying 45KIAS into a 45KTS headwind theories", today is your day!

 

 

[TechMan]

you can get a view of the water conditions via the coastalwatch surf cams

 

http://www.coastalwatch.com/camera/cameraOverview.aspx

 

Dial up South Aus at the moment and it's just a white blur.

 

Chris

 

 

[Admin]

Power has gone at my place and my 100ft trees are bending over backwards. I live in one of the flight paths for YMML but haven't heard or seen an aircraft all day except for one what looked like a private lear jet go shooting across the sky at some great rate of knots.

 

I never thought I would thank Telstra for anything but I have my laptop and telstra wireless providing to my internet sickness - it sure is darn windy here at the moment - the roads are covered in trees and debris

 

 

[Guest airsick]

You are just lucky the radio waves aren't getting blown away Ian. Just watch for 100ft falling trees.

 

 

[Guest airsick]

Just checked the ATIS for Canberra:

 

WND: 310/20-30 KTS, XW MAXIMUM 24 KTS RUNWAY 35

 

Not much better here.

 

 

[shafs64]

I had fun dodging trees in werribee today and thinking i am glad i am on the ground and not in an aircraft.

 

Paul

 

 

[Ben Longden]

Could'nt find the car thanks to the dust storms here....

 

Ben

 

 

[Admin]

Darn power is still off, laptop battery went flat, running the generator now - at least we still have gas for the caffeine . Went out to get petrol for the generator and heard on the news that we were getting 120km gusts - would make good cross wind training - not.

 

Anyway I hope everyone in Melbourne have come through ok with no damage to loved ones or posessions - the streets here in Watsonia look like a tornado has gone through

 

 

[Mazda]

Airsick at least there is a runway 30 at CB, that wouldn't be too bad!

 

It was lovely in Sydney today - high 20s, very little wind. :thumb_up:

 

 

[motzartmerv]

I did a flight down the coast from camden and over to golbourn..The forcast said sever turbulance below 5000 ft lee ranges.. 320/30..but, not a bump..lovely flight.. had a fair xwind at times thoiugh..one stage we were tracking 014 and heading 348..hehe..good fun:thumb_up:

 

 

[Admin]

Power finally came back on at 6:30 this morning :big_grin:

 

 

[Guest pelorus32]

At the Fawkner Beacon - about 5 nm straight down the Bay from Port Melbourne, the highest gust was 63 knots at 14:25 and the average wind speed was 28.8 knots.

 

http://www.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/~awatkins/north.html

 

Regards

 

Mike

 

 

[Admin]

I got stumped yesterday so I am asking for the help from all parents out there.

 

My 10yo daughter asked me during the wind gusts yesterday "Daddy, what makes wind?".

 

I thought quickly and realised that my 10yo daughter isn't going to be able to understand about air pressure, weather charts etc etc etc so I said the first thing that popped into my mind that I thought Caitlin could relate to...like thunder is when clouds bump into each other...'When God runs around the earth he gets puffed out so that is what wind is" . Unfortunately my little girl is growing up...Caitlin looked at me and said, "No Daddy, really what makes wind?". (- no comments please about onions etc)

 

I had pressing matters at the time so I just simply said..."I don't really know".

 

Now, how good is it being a parent?...my daughter then replied with "But Daddeeee, you know everything"...what can you say to that?

 

So, I am asking for your help in How can I explain what wind is in a way that a 10yo would understand? :confused:

 

 

[TechMan]

My first thought was 'Beans' Ian.

 

:-)

 

 

[Matt]

If in doubt - Google it: http://www.windpower.org/en/kids/index.htm?d=1

 

 

[TechMan]

At the Fawkner Beacon - about 5 nm straight down the Bay from Port Melbourne, the highest gust was 63 knots at 14:25 and the average wind speed was 28.8 knots.http://www.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/~awatkins/north.html

 

Regards

 

Mike

Ahh brings back memories of windsurfing in a man made lake in the south of Germany. 60knots, a sail the size of a handkerchief and water as hard as concrete. I still thought that was fun back then..sheesh

 

:hittinghead:

 

 

[Admin]

Thanks Matt - I will sit Caitlin down in front of her PC now and let her go for it!

 

 

[sain]

Just beware the dreaded "why is the sky blue?" question as they get a little bit older.. can result in quite an interesting discusion on wavelengths and harmonics though.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Hey Ian. Grab a weather map and a balloon. point out on the map the high and low pressure systems and the isobars around them. mention that areas of high pressure tend to move towards the area of low pressure. now blow up the balloon and tell her that the air inside is the high presure area and outside the ballon is the low area. now release the air from the ballon to demonstrate the wind. hope this idea helps

 

ozzie

 

 

[Caitlin]

hello my name is Caitlin and my daddy joined me here.

 

what are isobars

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Find a spare kitchen sink and go find the nearest merry-go-round, or find some other way to make the kitchen sink go around in circles.

 

Oh, and don't forget to bring a bucket for your daughter . . .

 

 

[Guest airsick]

Hi Caitlin, very nice to meet you. Isobars are like steel bars except they meet the International Standards Organisation's (ISO) requirements. You can use them to hit daddy if you feel he is confusing you too much. Because they meet the standard you can be sure that the confusion he has inflicted on you will be more than matched by the grimace on his face after you have put him in his place.

 

 

 

[Admin]

Be kind - that really is Caitlin and she now has a link on her desktop to the forums - my nickname for her is "Beaut" (pronounced boot) - short for Beautiful so beaut ask away on anything you don't understand and everyone here I am sure will help you to learn all about the weather :big_grin:

 

 

[Guest airsick]

Sorry, thought you were playing around.

 

Talk about passing the buck though. Fancy forwarding your childrens questions to a rabble like us!:hittinghead:

 

PS. I am picking on you now Ian. :big_grin:

 

 

[Caitlin]

i am doing a school project about thunder and lightning how is lightning and thunder formend.