MEDIA STATEMENT

Record cold on Macquarie Island

The temperature dropped to -9.4°C on Macquarie Island early this morning, the coldest recorded in the 55 years since routine weather observations began there. This is 11.1°C below the average minimum temperature for July of 1.7°C. The previous coldest temperature of -8.9°C was recorded back in 1954.

Macquarie Island's mean daily maximum temperature for July is 4.9°C. The highest temperature recorded in July is 8.3°C (in 1973). The highest temperature recorded at any time of the year is 14.4°C (in December 1984). This small temperature range is because it is a relatively small island in a large ocean.

A strong and slow-moving low pressure system south of New Zealand is pulling cold air from Antarctica across the island. This has persisted for several days, with heavy snow showers resulting in deep drifts. Yesterday, the wind gusted to 135 km/h. Conditions have eased slightly this afternoon, although showers and strong winds (gusting to 90km/h) and sub-zero temperatures have continued. The low is expected to move away and a ridge of high pressure approach from the west, causing the weather to moderate.

The low temperatures have frozen water pipes, making life more challenging than normal on the island. However Tim James, the Bureau's senior observer on Macquarie Island this winter, reports that "all expeditioners are fine and in good spirits, and bid a cheery hello to family and friends".

Macquarie Island is actually part of Tasmania, despite being over 1500 kilometres to the southeast of Hobart. The Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology has been part of the presence on the island since 1948. The Bureau currently has three staff at Macquarie Island: two meteorological observers and one meteorological technician. Their main role is observing the weather and maintaining the equipment to do that. They also take part in a number of other atmospheric observation programs, including ozone measurements and air sampling. These are done for a range of Australian and international organisations. The remote location gives these observations particular importance in global monitoring programs.

The cold air from the south has also been affecting Tasmania in recent days. Many sites in the State were below zero this morning, the lowest being -8.6°C at Liawenee, but this was partly because of heat loss into clear skies overnight.

Further Information