Christmas weather: Perfect day for a barbie and backyard sport
Christmas is shaping up to be a perfect day for a barbecue and some backyard cricket, with mild and pleasant weather on the cards. LATEST FORECAST >>
Tasmania
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MILD weather and sunny skies have arrived right on cue for a summer of sport, with a meteorologist saying Tasmania will have some of the best Christmas weather in the country.
Hurricanes captain Matthew Wade said the Tassie weather was turning it on for the Christmas Eve Bash on Friday evening.
“It’s going to be great. This has turned into our marquee game now so it would be nice to see Tasmanians come out and support us,” he said.
“The weather is supposed to be nice so I hope everyone comes.”
Bureau of Meteorology Tasmania senior forecaster Glen Perrin said apart from showers around the West and far South in the morning, and in central and South-East areas later in the day, the weather on Christmas Eve would be fine.
He said Hobart is predicted to reach 24C on Friday, with partly cloudy conditions and a top of 21C expected on Christmas Day.
“For Saturday we’ve got a cold front that’s going to move across the state in the morning with a trough to then linger about the North,” Mr Perrin said.
“For the state, we’re looking at showers about the West and far South. They’ll tend to isolate during the morning, and then we’ll see showers develop about the North-West later in the afternoon.
“It should be generally fine elsewhere.”
Mr Perrin said most of the North-West, central North, Midlands, lower East and South-East were in for a pleasant Christmas.
He said UV levels would remain high regardless of the temperature, but that the weather was appropriate for families to enjoy a barbecue or play outside on Christmas Day – particularly around lunch time.
“It doesn’t look too bad at all compared to other areas of the country,” he said.
‘History-making’ weather will ruin Christmas
The mild conditions are expected to continue into Boxing Day and through to Wednesday.
“The state’s under the influence of an area of high pressure, so not a lot of wind and rain around for those days,” Mr Perrin said.
For more weather updates visit bom.gov.au/tas
Mass power outages as severe weather lashes Tasmania
Over 1200 Tasmanian households and businesses are without power as strong winds lash the majority of Tasmania.
“Windy today with a cold front crossing,” BoM said on Twitter.
#Windy today with a cold front crossing. A Severe Weather #Warning is current for potentially damaging winds, with gusts to around 100 km/h possible from late morn until late arvo in most areas of the state. Please stay safe and check the latest warnings: https://t.co/NHL3HY0zFOpic.twitter.com/aCSdpI9pVC
— Bureau of Meteorology, Tasmania (@BOM_Tas) December 19, 2021
“A Severe Weather warning is current for potentially damaging winds, with gusts to around 100 km/h possible from late morn until late arvo in most areas of the state.”
Energy provider TasNetworks issues a statement this morning on social media.
“668 customers are without power in St Leonards and Waverley. Severe weather has caused a tree to fall onto powerlines,” they said.
“Crews are undertaking switching to reduce the number of customers off, with remaining customers estimated to be back on late this afternoon.”
“Please stay well away from fallen powerlines and report them to 132 004.”
There are currently (1pm) eight reported outages affecting 1244 customers.
More to come ...
EARLIER: SAVAGE winds are expected to pose a threat to trees, powerlines and outdoor furniture across Tasmania on Monday.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning, predicting damaging winds averaging 60-70km/h.
“Peak gusts of 90 to 100km/h are possible over most of Tasmania during Monday morning and afternoon, with gusts possible to 110km/h over elevated areas,” the BOM Tasmania website warned.
“Winds are expected to peak from mid morning until late afternoon.”
Residents in Hobart, Devonport, Burnie, Launceston, St Helens, Strahan and New Norfolk should expect destructive winds.
The alert remains active for the Furneaux Islands, Western, Upper Derwent Valley, South East, North East, North West Coast, Central North, Central Plateau, Midlands and parts of East Coast forecast districts.
The State Emergency Service has urged Tasmanians to protect children, pets and livestock and let family and neighbours know about the weather warning.
The SES encouraged locals to secure outdoor items, prepare for power outages and take care on the roads.
The warning comes after Tasmania Police were called to a fallen tree that blocked both lanes of Claremont Link Rd at Chigwell on Sunday about 5pm.
“The size of the tree has us stumped so we will leaf it up to the council to assist us in removing it rather than us branching out into tree removal,” Tasmania Police said, taking a humorous approach to the incident.
“Motorists are advised to avoid the area until the tree is moved.”
For weather updates visit bom.gov.au/tas
To report an outage call TasNetworks on 132 004.
For SES assistance or advice call 132 500 or visit ses.tas.gov.au
Scorcher to make way for cooler Christmas
MERRYMAKERS can expect a cool and cloudy couple of days leading up to Christmas, following one scorcher of a Saturday.
At its height, the mercury rose to an unseasonably hot 32.1C in Hobart, which is about 11.7C above the average temperature for this time of year.
Despite the odd burst of rainfall, the skies remained largely bright and sunny throughout the day.
Launceston also had a hot one, peaking at 27.5C, which is about 5C hotter than the seasonal average.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Glen Perrin said Hobart could expect some showers throughout Sunday.
The rains are expected to continue into Monday, gradually easing off throughout the day and remaining relatively dry throughout the week.
The return of westerly winds will bring moderate rainfall to the west part of the state during the next five days, while the eastern half will receive only light falls, mainly on Sunday and Monday.
Mr Perrin said residents could expect some cloud cover and for the winds to pick up in the days counting down to Christmas.
“It’s looking cloudy on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It will be fairly dry for the majority of the week,” Mr Perrin said.
“Christmas Day at this stage is looking partly cloudy with a chance of a light shower or two.”
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