By Cassandra Morgan
Melburnians faced steamy conditions thanks to near-record and lasting humidity after fog caused air traffic chaos, leading to dozens of flight cancellations.
The city was contending with unusual weather on two fronts on Tuesday: thick fog blanketed it for a second consecutive morning, and humidity levels in Victoria were at almost-record levels.
Walking in the humidity at the Royal Botanic Gardens fern gully on Tuesday.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Michael Efron described the humidity as “incredibly high”.
Because it was combined with instability, it meant a risk of showers and thunderstorms in parts of Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon, coinciding with a “steamy” top temperature of 25 degrees, he said.
The humidity also spells another warm night, with the moisture then persisting during the week – even into Saturday, Efron said.
Melbourne is forecast to reach 28 degrees and have a chance of a thunderstorm on Wednesday.
Hold on to your hat: The warmth brought out visitors to the Royal Botanic Gardens.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
“There’s no strong frontal system to bring that drier air across the state, so we are looking at these humid conditions continuing,” Efron said.
“We look at precipitable water, which is a measure of the amount of water in the atmosphere, and so what we’re seeing at the moment is those levels are close to record-breaking across south-eastern Australia.”
Victorians should be aware that the elevated moisture levels could mean heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, particularly in the state’s north-east on Tuesday and Wednesday, Efron said.
There was also a risk of large hail and damaging winds on Tuesday, along with possible severe storms in Victoria’s far west.
A band of fog persisted low over Melbourne on Tuesday morning, leading to the cancellation of 25 Melbourne-bound flights by about lunchtime, along with 16 that were meant to leave the city.
Cancellations slowed before midday, but there were ongoing delays of between 40 and 60 minutes about 2pm. The airport said the delays were expected to continue for the rest of the day.
A combination of factors was to blame for the fog: northerly winds brought tropical air from the Northern Territory and Queensland down to Victoria, and there was a lack of wind to blow the moisture away, Efron said.
Credit: Matt Golding
“The moisture is just sitting over the state, and that’s allowed all of this really low cloud and fog to develop,” he said.
“We have seen extensive fog across not just Melbourne, but other parts of the state as well. It is unusual to see it hanging around for a couple of days, and that’s just as a result of those really light winds, which means that that moisture isn’t going anywhere.”
The fog began breaking up later on Tuesday morning.
Earlier, the bureau warned drivers in Melbourne’s north and west to be wary of dangerous conditions. Drivers were advised to reduce their speed, maintain a greater distance between vehicles and turn on their headlights.
Tuesday’s flight cancellations followed a chaotic start to the week: there were 32 domestic cancellations in the 24 hours to about 7pm on Monday.
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