Chilly weather hits Melbourne by Steph Ball
English cricket fans, also known as The Barmy Army, will be feeling much more at home when they arrive in Melbourne for the 4th Ashes Test which is due to start on Boxing Day. After playing the previous 3 test matches in temperatures that topped 40C at times, the forecast for Melbourne is one that would not look out of place in England.
Melbourne had its hottest December day for 53 years on December 10th when the thermometer reached a sizzling 42.1C (108F). This was followed more recently on December 22nd with the warmest December night in 45 years with a minimum temperature of just 27C (81F) recorded at 12:40am and by 06:00am the temperature had already climbed to 30C (86F).
Despite a scorching start to Friday morning, a change to strong Southerly winds brought a dramatic drop in temperature and unsettled conditions. By 09:00 on Friday, the cooling winds had dropped the temperature to just 19C (66F) and the thermometer continued to fall throughout the day, reaching a minimum of 10C (50F).
The change continued to be felt during Saturday with the maximum temperature reaching 17C (63F), quite a significant change to the maximum of 37C (99F) achieved on Thursday. Despite already having lost The Ashes, perhaps these more English like temperatures will suit the England players as they take to the pitch on Boxing Day.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is even forecasting the possibility of a white Christmas in the nearby mountains.
Although little change is expected over the Christmas period, the forecast is for temperatures to recover to the December norm by Friday, around 24C (75F).
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