Source: Weatherzone

Brett Dutschke, Tuesday June 29, 2010 - 15:28 EST

Much of New South Wales, including Sydney has been gripped by the coldest morning in three years, record cold in some places.

Most of the state was about five to 10 degrees colder than the June average. The state's coldest place was Glen Innes on the Northern Tablelands where it dropped to minus 10 degrees.

The coldest spot across Sydney this morning was Richmond which recorded a temperature of minus 3.8 degrees, the coldest it's been in five years.

This sort of cold is not unusual for July or August but for June it's much more rare.

Sydney city got as cold as 4.7 degrees at about sunrise, the coldest in three years and the coldest June morning in 27 years.

In the northwest of the state Bourke and Walgett both chilled to minus four degrees and Lightning Ridge minus two, the coldest it's been in June in more than a decade.

Most of NSW will be similarly cold on Wednesday morning with further severe frost expected.

From Thursday, mornings will still be cold but become progressively warmer as the coldest air dissipates and cloud and wind increase.

The crisp clear weather will turn cloudy and rainy in the north late in the week as moisture filters in from the tropics.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2010

 

 

Winter? Already?

 

It may come as a surprise, but winter really isn't too far away and there is nothing worse than being caught out on that first chilly night.

This winter don't freeze, why not consider the warming comfort and economical benefits of Ducted Gas Heating, from the Ducted Gas Heating experts Brivis and Ample Air.

 

What is Ducted Heating?

 

Stop before you shop

Heating is a long term investment so before you even begin looking at heating systems, there are a few things you should consider. For instance, how will future lifestyle changes affect your heating needs?

Think ahead, and purchase a system that fulfills your current needs as well as your future ones. And keep in mind that a good heating system increases the value of your home. The money you spend now is sure to pay off later.

Finally, determine how many rooms you want to heat at any given time. Figure this out, and you're half way to finding the heating system that's right for you.

Whole house heating

With ducted heating you don’t have to walk out of a warm room into a cold one. You can be watching TV while the kids are in bed and everyone stays warm.

Gas Ducted central heating is the most efficient way to heat your entire house. You can save up to $300* per year in operating costs to heat your entire home using a high efficiency gas ducted heater compared to using gas space heaters.

A household using electrical appliances for heating produces three times** more greenhouse gas emissions than a household using ducted gas appliances.

*Sustainable Energy Authority Victoria, 2004 for a house size up to 150m2
**AGA (Australian Gas Association)

Move to a warm zone

Ducted central heating offers heating flexibility through zoning. Zoning enables you to divide your home into sections so living areas can be heated during the day and sleeping areas at night, or whatever suits you. Zoning is not only practical but economical. It can reduce your gas bill by up to $200 pa. in a typical home. So don't forget to ask about zoning when you speak to your dealer.

What is it ducted heating?

Ducted central heating comprises a central heating unit, which is connected to a series of outlets. Positioned strategically throughout your home, these outlets, or ducts, are installed either in the floor or ceiling. Positioning of the heating unit depends on your house. If your house is built on a concrete slab, the unit is installed in the roof. If it has space underneath or a very low roof line, the unit is installed outside or under the floor. The ductwork, which connects the outlets to the heating unit, is neatly tucked away out of sight.

How does it work ?

The heating unit draws air from inside your house into a return air grille. From here it then flows into the heater where it's warmed, and then on to every room of your home via outlets, in the form of warm, gentle air.

Key Points

• Warm air flows through small outlets into every room you want to heat.
• Household Electrical heating appliances produce three times more greenhouse gas emissions than ducted gas appliances.
• The most effective and inexpensive way to power any heater is natural gas.
• Ducted central heating can heat your whole home.

 

Browse through Brivis' latest heating equipment on our website Brivis StarPro Max & Plus Ducted Gas Heaters

   

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald - http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/sydneys-hottest-november-ever-20091130-k0za.html

 

Sydney has had its hottest November on record with maximum temperatures 2.5 degrees above average, the Weather Channel says.

Only two cold fronts have crossed southeastern Australia in the entire month, the channel's meteorologist Tom Saunders says.

Sydney also recorded its hottest spring since 1988, he said in a statement on Monday.

And it's been the city's driest November since 1962, with only 13.4mm of rain compared to the November average of 83.5mm.

 

© 2009 AAP

 

Sweltering temperatures have added to Melbourne Cup day fever this lunch time in Sydney.

The mercury hit 36 degrees at Sydney Airport - 13 degrees above the average for early November.

The weather bureau is forecasting a high of 37 degrees right across the city before a cool change later on.

Elsewhere, the mercury has hit 35 degrees at Ulladulla on the south coast; but Byron Bay in the far north is basking in a cool 23 degrees.

The hot gusty winds made for an uncomfortable wait for those queueing at TAB outlets across Sydney.

But race fans were undeterred.

One punter, Trish Tinyow said she is backing the only female jockey in the race.

"Michelle Payne on Alleez Wonder," she said.

"She's definitely getting a backing. As well as the usual, [my] husband has required me to put a box trifecta on the regular favourites."

There is a total fire ban in place for six of New South Wales' 20 fire districts because of the hot weather.

The ban applies to all of the Central West plains, the Central Ranges, Greater Sydney, the Hunter and the Illawarra until midnight tonight.

The Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says conditions are dangerous, and they are likely to worsen this afternoon.

"The principle reason for this is we're going to see some hot dry windy conditions across much of NSW," he said.

"[It will be] predominantly a west north westerly pattern, with some very strong wind influences - up to 80 kilometres an hour in some parts - ahead of a southerly change that is expected to move through later this afternoon and into this evening."

Temperatures in Sydney are expected to drop back down to the low 20s tomorrow.

- ABC

© ABC 2009

Source: Weatherzone.com.au - http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/sydney-gets-set-to-simmer/12662

Sam Terry, Wednesday September 16, 2009 - 16:43 EST

 

Residents of Sydney may be wondering where the warm, sunny pre-summer days have gone, especially in light of the claustrophobic cloud that has lingered over the city today. The wonder-ers can wonder no more: the city is once more expected to simmer.

Sydney was forecast to reach a top of 25 degrees this afternoon, with morning cloud and the odd spit of rain predicted to clear. But this did not happen. Low cloud clung to the Sydney Basin like gum to a shoe, preventing the temperature from breaching even 20, the coldest maximum in one and a half weeks.

Tomorrow morning, however, should be cloud-free as winds tend first northerly then northwesterly. Cloud will increase during afternoon with a shower or two developing by evening. Despite this, Sydney will top at a toasty 30 degrees, eight above average.

A change will move through early on Friday, causing temperatures across the Sydney Basin to dip to the low twenties again. However, the outlook for the weekend and the start of next week is for the warmer days to linger.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2009

 

 

source: ACA - ninemsn.com

http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=856865

 

If you think winter bypassed Australia this year, you're right.

Australia has sweltered through an unusual winter, according to the Weather Channel's senior meteorologist Dick Whitaker.

"We've set temperature records everywhere - particularly over southern Queensland and northern NSW - and it looks like it could be one of the warmest winters on record Australia wide," he says.

Channel Nine weatherman Steve Jacobs agrees and warns us to get ready to sizzle this summer.

"We definitely have warmer temperatures on the way for spring and into summer we have an El Nino that is forming off the coast of Australia," he says.

Last week Brisbane recorded its hottest August day on record, and in rural Queensland bushfires have already started burning.

Beach weather may be fast approaching but that's not good news for our farmers.

What's on the way?

increasing temperatures across eastern Australia

less rain and warmer temperatures in NSW and Victoria

warmer temperatures but much more rain on the way for Western Australia

a very hot summer

 

What about the garden?

If you're planning on keeping your garden green over summer, here are a few tips from gardening guru Don Burke:

 

Dig a hole beside the plant and fill it up with water
The water soaks into the ground around and will probably keep the plant in water for a least a week

Push a watering probe into the ground near your favourite plants
The probe waters very efficiently by injecting water into the soil near plant roots

 

For more information on looking after your garden, go to www.burkesbackyard.com.au

For your comprehensive weather forecasts, visit ninemsn weather

Heating is an essential part of living in Sydney and its outskirts during winter, Australia wide we have some even cooler climates where one would barely survive without some form of heating.

There are some cheap forms of heating however that may affect your health. Firstly we must mention, ALL our heating systems, including our highest efficiency Brivis ducted gas heating range are safe and healthy, with a flue system in every unit ensuring your families health is first priority, with keeping your entire home warm is a very close second. The unflued gas heaters are where the health risk are most concern.

Gas heaters produce heat through burning gas fuel. When gas fuel is burnt, air pollutants and water vapour are also produced.

A flued gas heater vents these air pollutants and water vapour outside the home through a chimney or flue, while an unflued gas heater releases them directly into the home. This means that an unflued gas heater has the potential to cause indoor air pollution in your home, this is the air the your family breathes.  These gases  may affect your health.

Fore more information, visit the NSW Government, Department of health website: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/factsheets/environmental/gasˍheatersˍfs.html

For more information on the Brivis Ducted Gas Heating range visit: http://www.ampleair.com.au/air-conditioning/Solutions/Ducted-Air-Conditioning/Brivis-Ducted-Heating-Range.html

The Australian Government currently has a number of grants on offer for the promotion of energy efficient homes. Choosing the right Heating / Cooling solution for your home is very important, but the grants on offer also highlight other parts of your home where you can save on energy.

The Australian Government's $4 billion Energy Efficient Homes package will install ceiling insulation in up to 2.9 million Australian homes and help over 300,000 households install a solar hot water system.

These practical steps will create jobs, help millions of households reduce their energy use, cut their power bills by between $200 and $700 a year, and increase the comfort and value of their homes.

The non-means tested package includes:

• ceiling insulation worth up to $1,600 for owner-occupiers; OR
• a $1,600 rebate on the cost of installing a solar hot water system.
• There is also help for renters, with up to $1,000 available to help landlords or tenants install ceiling insulation in rental properties.

Both insulation offers target homes with very little or no existing ceiling insulation.

Guidelines for the three elements of the package are available for download http://www.environment.gov.au/energyefficiency/index.html  or by calling the free hotline on 1800 808 571.

Source: BBC News - Monday, 4 May 2009

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8032094.stm

 

Almost 900 cases had been confirmed across five continents, the WHO said, and authorities had to remain vigilant.

Viruses increased and decreased in activity, it said, and it was too early to tell whether the outbreak had peaked where it emerged in Mexico.

The warning came after health officials in Mexico said that cases of the virus appeared to be declining.

In Mexico, just over 100 people are thought to have died from the swine flu strain, although only 22 cases have been confirmed.

                                  

But on Sunday Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said that the virus appeared to have peaked between 23-28 April.

"The evolution of the epidemic is now in its declining phase," he told a news conference.

The WHO said authorities should remain on alert.

The current "round of activity" might have peaked, WHO official Gregory Hartl said, but that did not mean it was over.

"There is a high possibility that this virus will come back, especially in colder periods," he said.

Health experts in the US, meanwhile, say swine flu could soon be present throughout their country, as cases have been confirmed in more than half of all states.

Outside Mexico, the effects of the virus do not appear to be severe.

In other developments:

• El Salvador says it has confirmed its first two cases of the virus, AFP reports, citing the country's health minister

• Egypt says it will continue slaughtering pigs as a precaution against swine flu, following clashes on Sunday with farmers that left 12 people injured

• A number of Mexicans remain under quarantine in cities in China, triggering a diplomatic row

'Widespread'

Late on Sunday - before the apparent confirmation from El Salvador - the WHO said it had found 898 cases of the virus across 18 countries.

Person-to-person transmission has been confirmed in six countries.

In the US, the number of confirmed cases rose from 160 to 244. Officials said this was because the results of lab tests were now coming through, rather than because of a new surge in cases.

But an expert from America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the virus was fairly widespread.

"Virtually all of the United States probably has this virus circulating now," Dr Anne Schuchat said. "That doesn't mean that everybody's infected, but within the communities, the virus has arrived."

She said she expected cases to become more severe and to lead to deaths. She stressed that this in itself would not be unusual as every year 36,000 people die in the US after contracting seasonal flu.

WHO food safety scientist Peter Ben Embarek, meanwhile, said increased surveillance was necessary after the virus was found to have infected pigs in Canada.

But he said there was no recommendation to cull animals, and pork remained safe to eat.

"From a consumer point of view there is no risk from consuming cooked pork products," he said.

 

Keep your air conditioning clean, virus & bacteria free

 

With winter approaching it is time to concentrate  on keeping the heat in rather than out, here are some tips for you to keep your heating costs down.

Around half of household electricity use goes towards heating, but a lot of this heat is quickly lost through the ceiling and windows. A few simple measures will cut this heat loss and vastly improve your heating efficiency.

Reduce heat loss by 80-90% with ceiling insulation

• Buy high-rated ceiling insulation and get it installed professionally with no gaps. You may be eligible for a rebate on ceiling insulation, see link below.
• Use high-rated wall insulation if you're building or renovating.

Reduce heat loss by up to 40% with window dressing

• Maximise heat retention with close-fitting lined curtains and blinds as well as pelmets.

• Avoid loose woven fabrics and vertical blinds.

Draught-proof to save up to 20% on heating costs

• Fit draught seals to the base of doors and weather strips to door jambs.
• Seal windows, walls, ceiling, architraves and floorboards. Products that fix gaps and leaks can be found at your hardware store.
• Use dampeners on open fire places when not in use.
• Seal old style wall vents unless you're using unflued gas heaters.
• Fit covers on exhaust fans which vent straight into the roof. These open when the fan is in use but stop draughts at other times.

Source: Sustainability Victoria