Ingrid still inches towards Darwin. by Louise Lear
Residents of the north Australian coastal city of Darwin are still preparing for the arrival of tropical cyclone, Ingrid. It has recently been downgraded from a maximum category five storm to a four and is about 160 kilometres northeast of Darwin.
Gusts of winds at the core of the cyclone are reaching 290 kilometres per hour (180mph). It’s currently heading for Melville Island and then will push west to the Tiwi islands later today. Darwin may be affected by the edge of the system overnight.
Just a few hundred miles further south, conditions have been hotting up. Port Augusta which is around 150 miles northwest of Adelaide saw temperatures climbing rapidly to a maximum of 40.9 degrees Celsius yesterday, twelve degrees above the monthly average. This was due to fine, sunny weather and winds blowing from the hot interior of the country.
In Medicine Hat, southeast Alberta, Canada, warm westerly winds were also responsible for an early taste of spring. Temperatures peaked at just under 21 degrees Celsius, 70F and a massive 17 degrees above the average March maximum for the town.
Just a final thought, for those of you who’ve missed out on a skiing holiday this year, or so you thought! Due to the excellent snow conditions at the moment, some of the best for years. Ski operators are extending their season, adding departures in late April and even May.
Many Alpine resorts have seen further heavy snowfalls this weekend and the final two races of the World Cup season in Lenzerheide, Switzerland were delayed due to weather conditions.
A word of caution however, temperatures are set to climb dramatically this week across much of Europe which may produce a sudden thaw, or turn fresh, powdery snow very icy, particularly first thing in the morning.
|
|
