Lies of the Climate Commission: Part 15 - The disgruntled summer

Some stats of extreme temperatures from the BOM listed below. Odd that in a year the climate was on"steriods" and the "Summer was Angry" (....my friend ...perhaps "like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli") that 2012 and 2013 seem to be MIA. Perhaps not that angry after all. Just a little disgruntled perhaps? (from 0:48)

Hottest Day in December Australia:

Official records for Australia in December

Records valid as of 31 January 2013

Rank	Value (°C)	Date	Station Name	State	Station Number	Elevation (m)	Latitude (°)	Longitude (°)
1	49.5	24 December 1972	Birdsville Police Station	QLD	38002	47	-25.90	139.35
2	49.4	21 December 2011	Roebourne	WA	4035	12	-20.78	117.15
3	49.2	22 December 2011	Onslow Airport	WA	5017	11	-21.67	115.11
4	49.1	23 December 1972	Moomba	SA	17096	39	-28.11	140.21
5	49.0	22 December 1972	Marree	SA	17031	50	-29.65	138.06
5	49.0	06 December 1981	Birdsville Police Station	QLD	38002	47	-25.90	139.35
5	49.0	21 December 2011	Roebourne Aero	WA	4090	11	-20.76	117.16

Hottest day in January

Official records for Australia in January

Records valid as of 31 January 2013

Rank	Value (°C)	Date	Station Name	State	Station Number	Elevation (m)	Latitude (°)	Longitude (°)
1	50.7	02 January 1960	Oodnadatta Airport	SA	17043	117	-27.56	135.45
2	50.3	03 January 1960	Oodnadatta Airport	SA	17043	117	-27.56	135.45
3	49.8	03 January 1979	Mundrabilla Station	WA	11008	20	-31.84	127.86
3	49.8	13 January 1979	Forrest Aero	WA	11004	156	-30.84	128.11
5	49.7	10 January 1939	Menindee Post Office	NSW	47019	61	-32.39	142.42

Note Feb yet to be updated. here t'is:

Official records for Australia in February

Records valid as of 28 February 2013

Rank	Value (°C)	Date	Station Name	State	Station Number	Elevation (m)	Latitude (°)	Longitude (°)
1	50.5	19 February 1998	Mardie	WA	5008	11	-21.19	115.98
2	49.8	21 February 1998	Emu Creek Station	WA	6072	111	-23.03	115.04
3	49.4	16 February 1998	Emu Creek Station	WA	6072	111	-23.03	115.04
4	49.2	09 February 1977	Mardie	WA	5008	11	-21.19	115.98
5	49.1	18 February 1998	Roebourne	WA	4035	12	-20.78	117.15

And the National tally, not a single 2012 or 2013!

NATIONAL

Highest temperature

State	Temperature (°C)	Date	Place name	Latitude	Longitude
South Australia	50.7	2 January 1960	Oodnadatta	-27.56	135.45
Western Australia	50.5	19 February 1998	Mardie	-21.19	115.98
New South Wales	49.7	10 January 1939	Menindee	-32.39	142.42
Queensland	49.5	24 December 1972	Birdsville	-25.90	139.35
Victoria	48.8	7 February 2009	Hopetoun	-35.72	142.36
Northern Territory	48.3	1 & 2 January 1960	Finke	-25.58	134.57
Tasmania	42.2	30 January 2009	Scamander	-41.46	148.26

Lowest temperature

State	Temperature (°C)	Date	Place name	Latitude	Longitude
New South Wales	-23.0	29 June 1994	Charlotte Pass	-36.43	148.33
Tasmania	-13.0	30 June 1983	Butlers Gorge	-42.28	146.27
	-13.0	30 June 1983	Shannon	-42.05	146.75
	-13.0	30 June 1983	Tarraleah	-42.30	146.45
Victoria	-11.7	15 June 1965	Omeo	-37.10	147.60
	-11.7	3 July 1970	Falls Creek	-36.87	147.28
Queensland	-10.6	23 June 1961	Stanthorpe	-28.66	151.93
	-10.6	12 July 1965	The Hermitage	-28.21	152.10
South Australia	-8.2	20 July 1976	Yongala	-33.03	138.75
Northern Territory	-7.5	17 July 1976	Alice Springs	-23.80	133.89
Western Australia	-7.2	17 August 2008	Eyre	-32.25	126.00

Rainfall - highest daily

State	Rainfall (mm)	Date	Place name	Latitude	Longitude
Queensland	907.0	3 February 1893	Crohamhurst	-26.81	152.87
New South Wales	809.2	21 February 1954	Dorrigo	-30.34	152.71
Western Australia	747.0	3 April 1898	Whim Creek	-20.84	117.84
Northern Territory	544.6	15 April 1963	Roper Valley	-14.93	134.01
Victoria	375.0	22 March 1983	Tanybryn	-38.68	143.68
Tasmania	352.0	22 March 1974	Cullenswood	-41.59	148.13
South Australia	272.6	14 March 1989	Motpena	-31.19	138.28

Rainfall - highest monthly

State	Rainfall (mm)	Month	Place name	Latitude	Longitude
Queensland	5387.0	January 1979	Bellenden Ker (Top Station)	-17.29	145.92
New South Wales	1620.6	January 1974	Upper Crystal Creek	-28.28	153.31
Western Australia	1540.4	January 2011	Kuri Bay	-15.49	124.52
Northern Territory	1252.1	January 2003	Redbank Mine	-17.19	137.74
Victoria	989.6	July 1964	Falls Creek	-36.87	147.28
Tasmania	984.0	October 1988	Mount Mawson	-42.68	146.58
South Australia	676.0	March 1989	Balcanoona	-30.53	139.30

Rainfall - highest annual

State	Rainfall (mm)	Year	Place name	Latitude	Longitude
Queensland	12461.0	2000	Bellenden Ker (Top Station)	-17.29	145.92
New South Wales	4539.7	1950	Tallowwood Point	-30.35	152.87
Tasmania	4504.1	1948	Lake Margaret Dam	-41.99	145.57
Victoria	3738.5	1956	Falls Creek	-36.86	147.28
Northern Territory	2953.2	2000	Channel Point	-13.17	130.12
Western Australia	2380.6	2000	Kimberley Coastal Camp	-14.58	125.91
South Australia	1852.6	1917	Aldgate	-35.02	138.75

Call that an Angry Summer? Now this is an angry summer (and spring and Autumn!)...

Maximum temperatures at Marble Bar, 1 October 1923 to 28 April 1924 showing the record number of days over 100°F (37.8°C).

Lies of the Climate Commission: Part 14 - Climate on steriods!

A few years back ABC's resident Climate catastrophist, environmental activist Sarah Phillips, put together a post that linked weather events and the climate. In her piece "One swallow does not a summer make" Sara saw the signs of climate disaster in 2010's weather events, linking 7 weather events with dangerous man made climate doom.

The Climate Commission has gone one better and described the current weather as the "Angry Summer" due to "Climate on Steroids". In response to Sarah's piece we put together a list of Weather events for 1953 to compare. Here's a recap for those who think the Commission has jumped the shark (again).

Let's compare  the portents of climate doom of 2010 with another random year, lets take 1953,  before modern warming-surely things were much calmer back then.

1.Freak wind storm lashes Perth! 

"The blast, accompanied by hail, was brief but devastating and was followed by heavy rain"

2.Hail fury rips £1½m. havoc as city wilts in storm

"THE fiercest hailstorm in Melbourne's history yesterday damaged more than half the homes, Shops and buildings in the metropolitan area. Destruction is estimated at£1,500,000."

3. Flooding in Queensland

"Flooding rivers and creeks marooned at least, 175 motorists during the week-end."

4.Equalled Coldest July Day 

"A heavy blanket of fog yesterday prevented the temperature in Canberra rising above 40.3 degrees, thus equalling the coldest July day on record."

5.Tornado Damages Brisbane Suburbs

"BRISBANE, Tuesday. A tornado caused more than £3,000 damage in less than two square miles in the Milchclton-Gaylhorne area near Brisbane to-day."

6.SNOW IN VIC.(in February!)

"MELBOURNE, Monday.-Snow was falling on the loftier peaks of the Victorian Alps to-night when a burst of wintry weather swept through the State."

7. COOL SWIM AFTER HEAT-WAVE 

"Betty McNamara, of Ultimo, and Len Williams, of Redfern, took their cocker spaniel for a swim at Bondi last night. They were cooling off after Sydney's record day of heat."

A pretty close match (to the seven). But wait there's more...

VIOLENT STORM IN MELBOURNE 

farmer dies in storm

lightning rocks suburbs

worst ever known

cyclones bring flood danger to east australian coast

worst fog in years "stopped" city for a night

FOOD DROPPED TO FLOOD VICTIMS

You want steak knives with that?...

'Flu Worst Since 1918

VICTORIA FACES BIG FLOOD THREAT

heavy flood damage in victoria

"WORST" POLIO OUTBREAK

four injured by huge hailstones

hail havoc in north

grasshopper plague may be one of worst

but wait there's more...

threat of "worst potato famine for years"

gales lash tasmania seasickness — on hobarts ferry! 

richmond river floods make many homeless in lismore

storm lashes w.a. coastal areas

five tons of dead mice

hail havoc in north

rain damage at nubeena

we'll even throw in the table!

the 'cool change' made a mess of melbourne's summer frocks

corangamite flood areas "becoming worse"

dust storms ruin wheat

year of crazy weather

violent hail storm at st. marys

flood kills 10,000 qld. sheep 

bushfire on mountains

and the chairs...

bushfire peril in q'land

storm damage £50,000

sudden storm in city

storm disrupts strait shipping

storm lashes w.a. coastal areas

farmer dies in storm

drought warning

Hey take the whole dining room!

farmers facing drought ruin

drought hits coastal farms

drought plight in tablelands

drought decimates cattle

drought in the suburbs

drought hits north coast farms

wheat men fear drought

These are but a handful of the weird weather calamities to make the news in 1953. It seems like the swallows fly every year if you take the time to look out of the fishbowl.

                           

More local, regional and international weather calamities from 1953 or other years can be found at the National Library's collection of Australian Newspapers http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/

New Look

ABC's web page has been given a makeover....

News has been given more prominence but most of the page is taken up by the photo link. Can't wait for the photo mix ups to re-appear!

Any thoughts on how much they paid? The last one was pretty hard to get around, this doesn't seem any better.

Pays to read the source

ABC once again push the panic button on a WHO report on a Health Risk Assessment of the Fukashima Nuclear Disaster. The ABC story by Reuters fails to adequately explain the WHO findings.

The source document is quite clear and succinct on the risks. Here are a few things missing from ABC's report.
This from the report's executive summary:
"Outside of the geographical areas most affected by radiation, even in locations within Fukushima prefecture, the predicted risks remain low and no observable increases in cancer above natural variation in baseline rates are anticipated."


"The estimated dose levels in Fukushima prefecture were also too low to affect fetal development or outcome of pregnancy and no increases, as a result of antenatal radiation exposure, in spontaneous abortion, miscarriage, perinatal mortality, congenital defects or cognitive impairment are anticipated."


The Exec. summary states: "In the two most affected locations of Fukushima prefecture, the preliminary estimated radiation effective doses for the first year ranged from 12 to 25 mSv."

However ABC's report claims:
"The report found that these people received a lifetime radiation dose of up to 50 milli-Sieverts (MSV) and therefore have a significant, but relatively small, additional risk of contracting cancer in later life."

ABC's report states:
"In the most contaminated area, the WHO estimated there was a 70 per cent higher risk of females exposed as infants developing thyroid cancer over their lifetime.
The thyroid is the most exposed organ as radioactive iodine concentrates there and children are deemed especially vulnerable."

 ABC fails to add the important follow on information explaining the risk for Thyroid cancer:
"Due to the low baseline rates of thyroid cancer, even a large relative increase represents a small absolute increase in risks. For example, the baseline lifetime risk of thyroid cancer for females is just three-quarters of one percent and the additional lifetime risk estimated in this assessment for a female infant exposed in the most affected location is one-half of one percent."

It was only in the geographically smaller areas where exposures were higher that the increased cancer risks are significant. For thyroid cancer the actual increase in risk is one-half of one percent.

Nothing ABC loves more than a beat up!