| Daylight Saving Time (DST) has been implemented within Australia in
various forms since the early 1900s. Since it began, the times at which
weather observations were made by the Bureau of Meteorology during the period
of DST also underwent a number of changes in practice. In different years
an observation may have been made based either on local clock time, or according
to local standard time ignoring DST. The impact of these changes is probably
most significant on the nominal 9am data, particularly temperature and humidity
observations. |
| |
|
The following sections provide more detailed information
|
|
|
| |
Glossary
|
| UTC - Coordinated Universal Time |
| Coordinated Universal Time is the worldwide standard for time and date,
and is based on an atomic clock. For most practical purposes UTC has superceded
(but is similar to) Universal Time (UT1) which is derived from astronomical
observations, as was the previous standard Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Current
UTC time can be retrieved from the BIPM
UTC/TAI Time Server maintained by the Bureau International des Poids
et Mesures. |
| |
| LST - Local Standard Time |
| The globe is divided into Standard time zones and Local Standard Time
is the time specified for each zone. This is usually done in terms of hours
ahead or behind UTC. The LST zones in Australia are as follows: |
- EST - Australian Eastern Standard Time (+10 UTC) in Qld, NSW, Vic
and Tas
- CST - Australian Central Standard Time (+9.5 UTC) in NT and SA
- WST - Australian Western Standard Time (+8 UTC) in WA.
|
| DST - Daylight Saving Time |
| Also known as summer time, Daylight Saving Time occurs when the time on
local clocks is advanced forward by one hour at the beginning of the defined
period of DST, and returned back by one hour at the end of DST. The exact
dates between which DST is to apply can be obtained from the relevant Australian
State governments. Within Australia DST across the three time zones is generally
denoted by |
- EDT - Australian Eastern Daylight Time
- CDT - Australian Central Daylight Time
- WDT - Australian Western Daylight Time
|
| Local Time |
| Normally this is the same as Local Standard Time, but in periods of Daylight
Saving an hour is added to the local clock, making Local Time an hour ahead
of Local Standard Time (ie Local time = DST). |
