Autumn in the South West
Why don't westerlies bring rain in the autumn?
Readers from another place might wonder why all the fuss. Well, down here in Victoria an autumn break is everything. While we expect one , at least in April, there are years like this one when it seems to come very late - our situation right here , right now .
Today is 27th April 2013 and Westerlies have been blowing a gale for 2 days . Lots of low clouds moving fast but very little rain to speak of .Then or in the previous 5 months.
The reason we are talking about it is because rain is more urgent when the dry spell is long and the margins for dairying are lower than ever .The rain would mean a lot . Maybe such moments mean nothing in the longer term but we feel them deeply - when animals have to be fed with expensive other feeds and the profit margin fro grass fed stock is being evaporated This has been one of the longest dry spells we have had for several years but its made much more painful by the squashed state of the industry and the age of those still hanging in there.
It seems however that this westerly thing a this time of year is just a reflection of where the highs pass in autumn here . We mostly get the centres ( lots of warm still days) but occasionally we get the bottoms of the highs . Presumably without an orographic lift or a front we get clouds but no rain .We get so little wind in autumn usually and overall that our windmills can struggle to pump the water we need for stock ( the main way water is distributed in the Heytesbury )
This is probably normal for many flatter and drier areas it seems fairly uncommon to me . But then I haven't been around very long and my memory isn't as reliable as it once was . The oxygen ( from the gales ) is very invigorating for an old guy.
Readers from another place might wonder why all the fuss. Well, down here in Victoria an autumn break is everything. While we expect one , at least in April, there are years like this one when it seems to come very late - our situation right here , right now .
Today is 27th April 2013 and Westerlies have been blowing a gale for 2 days . Lots of low clouds moving fast but very little rain to speak of .Then or in the previous 5 months.
The reason we are talking about it is because rain is more urgent when the dry spell is long and the margins for dairying are lower than ever .The rain would mean a lot . Maybe such moments mean nothing in the longer term but we feel them deeply - when animals have to be fed with expensive other feeds and the profit margin fro grass fed stock is being evaporated This has been one of the longest dry spells we have had for several years but its made much more painful by the squashed state of the industry and the age of those still hanging in there.
It seems however that this westerly thing a this time of year is just a reflection of where the highs pass in autumn here . We mostly get the centres ( lots of warm still days) but occasionally we get the bottoms of the highs . Presumably without an orographic lift or a front we get clouds but no rain .We get so little wind in autumn usually and overall that our windmills can struggle to pump the water we need for stock ( the main way water is distributed in the Heytesbury )
This is probably normal for many flatter and drier areas it seems fairly uncommon to me . But then I haven't been around very long and my memory isn't as reliable as it once was . The oxygen ( from the gales ) is very invigorating for an old guy.
Labels: Bryan brothers mills, desperation, gales, rain, Southwest Victoria, wind and autumn break
posted by Little John at 4:02 AM
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