notes on Australian weather
Dec. 3rd, 2010 08:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deird1(Because summer is making an appearance, and I'm all thinky.)
Most people who don't live here seem to think that Aussie weather is:
1) hot
2) really, really hot
3) like, way too hot to move
4) HOT
It's a little more complicated than that.
1) Yes, it is hot. Compared to a lot of the world, anyway. Summers in Melbourne tend to reach 40 degrees (104F) every year.
2) Our country is rather large. Note that I said in Melbourne. Australia is very big - and the difference in climate between Hobart and Brisbane is roughly equivalent to the difference between Boston and Mexico City, or between Paris and Cairo.
3) It is not summer all year round. Melbourne tends to peak at about 40 degrees (104F). It tends to get down to about 4 degrees (39F). I can go to the beach in summer, go skiing in winter, and still spend most of the year in those comfortable 23 degree (73F) days.
4) It is not summer all day long. Melbourne is also fairly famous for its extremely changable weather. It might be 40 degrees (104F) today; it will probably be 20 degrees (68F) tomorrow. Bring a change of clothes.
5) It's not nearly as hot as you think it is. Not if you know how to handle it.
And (5) is my main point - because most non-Aussies find our weather unbearable simply because they don't know what they're doing.
Case in point: a group of exchange students from Germany. (This was back in 1998, shortly before I went to Germany for the winter.) We had a couple of very hot days, and all the Germans starting dropping from heat stroke.
Why weren't we getting heat stroke? Not because we're used to the weather and therefore somehow immune - but because we're used to the weather and thus know what you're supposed to do in weather like this (ie, very little).
Here's what you do in very hot weather:
- wear very light, thin clothing
- stay in the shade
- if possible, carry the shade around with you (this is why I have a parasol)
- turn on the air conditioning
- drink lots of water
- SIT STILL AND DO NOTHING
You should be operating at half-speed for all physical activities, and staying well out of the sun.
Our exchange students didn't know this. They saw sunny days as a chance to be outside and active, so they ran around and had fun and ran around some more... and then they started dropping like flies.
If you treat summer days in Australia the same way you treat summer days in Europe, then yes, the heat will be unbearable. If you copy the Aussies, you should be fine.
Most people who don't live here seem to think that Aussie weather is:
1) hot
2) really, really hot
3) like, way too hot to move
4) HOT
It's a little more complicated than that.
1) Yes, it is hot. Compared to a lot of the world, anyway. Summers in Melbourne tend to reach 40 degrees (104F) every year.
2) Our country is rather large. Note that I said in Melbourne. Australia is very big - and the difference in climate between Hobart and Brisbane is roughly equivalent to the difference between Boston and Mexico City, or between Paris and Cairo.
3) It is not summer all year round. Melbourne tends to peak at about 40 degrees (104F). It tends to get down to about 4 degrees (39F). I can go to the beach in summer, go skiing in winter, and still spend most of the year in those comfortable 23 degree (73F) days.
4) It is not summer all day long. Melbourne is also fairly famous for its extremely changable weather. It might be 40 degrees (104F) today; it will probably be 20 degrees (68F) tomorrow. Bring a change of clothes.
5) It's not nearly as hot as you think it is. Not if you know how to handle it.
And (5) is my main point - because most non-Aussies find our weather unbearable simply because they don't know what they're doing.
Case in point: a group of exchange students from Germany. (This was back in 1998, shortly before I went to Germany for the winter.) We had a couple of very hot days, and all the Germans starting dropping from heat stroke.
Why weren't we getting heat stroke? Not because we're used to the weather and therefore somehow immune - but because we're used to the weather and thus know what you're supposed to do in weather like this (ie, very little).
Here's what you do in very hot weather:
- wear very light, thin clothing
- stay in the shade
- if possible, carry the shade around with you (this is why I have a parasol)
- turn on the air conditioning
- drink lots of water
- SIT STILL AND DO NOTHING
You should be operating at half-speed for all physical activities, and staying well out of the sun.
Our exchange students didn't know this. They saw sunny days as a chance to be outside and active, so they ran around and had fun and ran around some more... and then they started dropping like flies.
If you treat summer days in Australia the same way you treat summer days in Europe, then yes, the heat will be unbearable. If you copy the Aussies, you should be fine.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-02 10:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-02 10:31 pm (UTC)Gabrielle