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What's Australia's wind patterns and front systems like, and which directions does the ocean flow around the country? Does the Great Dividing Range contribute to the eastern states' dryness or are there other factors? Is Australia also like the U.S. in that most of the country can get colder than most people think it can?
Across the southern half of the country its usually alternating NW winds and S/SW winds as high pressure systems make their trek eastwards. Basically at the eastern end of high pressure you'll get SW winds and at the western edge NW winds. Sometimes, most often in winter, low pressure systems come up from the south. Along the NSW and QLD coast it is common to get easterly seabreezes mainly in summer. Further north into the tropics easterly trade winds are more the usual theme with local seabreezes in the afternoons.
There have been some spectacular cold days in the tropics over recent years. Some include a 6C high in Alice Springs last winter and highs as low as 15C at places like Kununurra at -15 deg latitude in an area that is more or less the hottest part of Australia. Also IIRC Mt Isa in QLD and Tennant Creek in NT had a highs of something like 9-10C a couple of years ago.
The GDR increases the rainfall to the Pacific coastal areas,
robbing areas west of the GDR of moisture generally speaking.
On a related note.. anywhere inland from the GDR gets around 3000 hours+ of annual sunshine, including such areas in west NSW and northern Victoria. In Victoria, the summer is much hotter "north of the divide" (to borrow a favourite phrase of the BOM) because fronts and seabreezes tend to get blocked. However these northern areas of the state, especially the northeast around Shepparton, Wangaratta, Albury-Wodonga and adjacent parts of southern NSW get stacks of thunderstorms, most of them severe during spring and summer, much more than anywhere else in Vic. Just an interesting anomaly I've noticed. I find myself getting PO'd at the "usual suspects in NE Vic" getting storms yet again while we miss out" as per bloody usual lol
As far as thunderstorms go, the best places are NE Vic and adjacent parts of NSW, NE NSW/SE QLD and the 'Top End' of NT and the Kimberlys in WA.
Even in the official weather reports particulary in summer, they even tend to divide the state using the GDR (in Victoria atleast) when forecasting temps and rainfall.
However these northern areas of the state, especially the northeast around Shepparton, Wangaratta, Albury-Wodonga and adjacent parts of southern NSW get stacks of thunderstorms, most of them severe during spring and summer, much more than anywhere else in Vic. Just an interesting anomaly I've noticed. I find myself getting PO'd at the "usual suspects in NE Vic" getting storms yet again while we miss out" as per bloody usual lol
As far as thunderstorms go, the best places are NE Vic and adjacent parts of NSW, NE NSW/SE QLD and the 'Top End' of NT and the Kimberlys in WA.
It's weird to think the Cfa/subtropical zone goes down into Victoria, but it does and places like Albury, despite being more similar to a Temperate or Mediterranean climate, are subtropical.
I find it fascinating that virtually every place in Australia can grow a wide variety of palm trees and other subtropical plants even in temperate cities like Canberra and Hobart
It's weird to think the Cfa/subtropical zone goes down into Victoria, but it does and places like Albury, despite being more similar to a Temperate or Mediterranean climate, are subtropical.
But their winters are SO COLD! (by Aussie standards)
Albury might be colder in winter and with less sub-tropicals than what I've seen of the inland SW.
Last edited by ColdCanadian; 09-10-2011 at 06:33 PM..
I find it fascinating that virtually every place in Australia can grow a wide variety of palm trees and other subtropical plants even in temperate cities like Canberra and Hobart
Likewise I find it interesting going inland where cold nights are pretty common any month of the year
for its respective season (below 55 F in summer, below 30 F in winter)
yet that only means they grow half the variety of sub-tropicals that we see in coastal areas.
I've seen huge grapefruit and fig trees in climates where -5 C is supposed to be a common annual winter low.
Go from Bunbury to Perth and the range of varieties in tropicals/subtropicals increases by maybe 10-20%.
They are also slightly more widely planted there because of choice, probably not climate.
Estimates on plant numbers
I'd say Bunbury has 2/3'rds the tropical-ish look of Perth.
Inland areas which are colder, only look 1/2 as tropical-ish as Bunbury imho.
Perth is probably 10-15% tropical looking, mixed with mediterranean and temperate vegetation.
Bunbury is definitely less than 10% tropical looking and more of a natural and temperate mix (more temperate species than tropicals)
and inland it's probably less than 5% tropical looking with even more native vegetation, and similar temperate mix of Bunbury.
*I'm from Toronto.
Anything that resembles a robust palm tree, or thick brightly-coloured broad leaf evergreen looks tropical to me.
Yes I know most of them are actually sub-tropical species, but they are equally exotic
and actually very similar in appearance to tropicals imho,
compared with the Eastern Deciduous Woodlands forest and Mixed-Coniferous forest in North America.
Likewise I find it interesting going inland where cold nights are pretty common any month of the year
for its respective season (below 55 F in summer, below 30 F in winter)
yet that only means they grow half the variety of sub-tropicals that we see in coastal areas.
I've seen huge grapefruit and fig trees in climates where -5 C is supposed to be a common annual winter low.
Go from Bunbury to Perth and the range of varieties in tropicals/subtropicals increases by maybe 10-20%.
They are also slightly more widely planted there because of choice, probably not climate.
Estimates on plant numbers
I'd say Bunbury has 2/3'rds the tropical-ish look of Perth.
Inland areas which are colder, only look 1/2 as tropical-ish as Bunbury imho.
Perth is probably 10-15% tropical looking, mixed with mediterranean and temperate vegetation.
Bunbury is definitely less than 10% tropical looking and more of a natural and temperate mix (more temperate species than tropicals)
and inland it's probably less than 5% tropical looking with even more native vegetation, and similar temperate mix of Bunbury.
*I'm from Toronto.
Anything that resembles a robust palm tree, or thick brightly-coloured broad leaf evergreen looks tropical to me.
Yes I know most of them are actually sub-tropical species, but they are equally exotic
and actually very similar in appearance to tropicals imho,
compared with the Eastern Deciduous Woodlands forest and Mixed-Coniferous forest in North America.
That's interesting that you find only 5-15% of the vegetation is tropical looking in your area... I guess the "tropical" or "subtropical" look isn't that popular there because it would look too out of place for some people. I'm thinking more along the lines of Canberra and Hobart vs. say Broome and Darwin...
For me what looks tropical and subtropical are tall evergreen broadleaf trees with tall feather palms everywhere.. (CIDP etc.).
We have evergreen broadleaf "shrubs" here in Vancouver as opposed to trees. Even the Southern Magnolia which looks magnificent in the Southern US looks like a large shrub here. Windmill and other palms look like small sticks compared to what palms look like in subtropical and tropical areas... that's what differentiates it for me.
Likewise I find it interesting going inland where cold nights are pretty common any month of the year
for its respective season (below 55 F in summer, below 30 F in winter)
yet that only means they grow half the variety of sub-tropicals that we see in coastal areas.
I've seen huge grapefruit and fig trees in climates where -5 C is supposed to be a common annual winter low.
Go from Bunbury to Perth and the range of varieties in tropicals/subtropicals increases by maybe 10-20%.
They are also slightly more widely planted there because of choice, probably not climate.
Estimates on plant numbers
I'd say Bunbury has 2/3'rds the tropical-ish look of Perth.
Inland areas which are colder, only look 1/2 as tropical-ish as Bunbury imho.
(Perth is probably 10-15% tropical looking, mixed with mediterranean and temperate vegetation.)
Bunbury is definitely less than 10% tropical looking and more of a natural and temperate mix (more temperate species than tropicals)
and inland it's probably less than 5% tropical looking with even more native vegetation, and similar temperate mix of Bunbury.
*I'm from Toronto.
Anything that resembles a robust palm tree, or thick brightly-coloured broad leaf evergreen looks tropical to me.
Yes I know most of them are actually sub-tropical species, but they are equally exotic
and actually very similar in appearance to tropicals imho,
compared with the Eastern Deciduous Woodlands forest and Mixed-Coniferous forest in North America.
Do you consider Eucalyptus to look temperate/Mediterranean rather than tropical?
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(by Aussie standards) 
