Expat Observations: Weather

Today's thunderstorms (BOM)

Melbourne's weather is notoriously erratic. One minute it can be hot, then a change will come through with rain and cool things down, and then later on it might get hot again. This unpredictable weather inspired the Crowded House song "Four Seasons In One Day."

Today was a typical Melbourne day- raining in the morning, clearing with some sunshine, then the sky going black and a massive downpour, and finally sunshine again. It rained so hard this afternoon that there were waterfalls coming off the roof of our building at work. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued a severe thunderstorm advisory and tornado warning, with a tornado forming in the northern suburbs! This is not normal, even for Melbourne.

You would think with such varied weather that our local newscasters would be highly qualified meteorologists with the most advanced radar and weather forecasts possible. That's what I grew up with in the Bay Area- it was weather warfare between stations using the latest technology to try and have the most accurate forecasts for all of our different micro-climates. However, here in Melbourne you are more likely to see ex-sports stars or models presenting the weather. It was funny when 7News recently hired a qualified meteorologist and actually used that in promos for their news broadcasts. You would think it should just be a given.