The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 45- Newcastle (Nobbys) (NSW)

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications.

Station:  Newcastle (Nobbys) 61055

Opened: 1862

Daily Temperature data from: 1957

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Sydney, Williamtown.

Location: Co-ordinates   -32.9184  151.7985

About 100km north of Sydney.

2017 BOM Site Plan:

2019 satellite image:

But the screen has moved at least three times, from very close to the cliff edge to the present position.

1999 BOM site plan:

2001 site plan:

The screen moved to the present location between 2007 and 2010.

The screen is close to a concrete path, a solid brick wall, pavement, and has moved from a more exposed to a less exposed position.

This station is not compliant, but temperatures are reported at Latest Weather Observations.    Unreliable temperatures from here are used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

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The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 44- Nelson Bay (NSW)

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications.

Station:  Nelson Bay 61054

Opened: 1881

Daily Temperature data from: 1968

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: —

Location: Co-ordinates   -32.7103 152.1612

About 140km north of Sydney.

2014 BOM Site Plan:

2019 satellite image:

Road view:

The screen is close to “flowers to 0.5m”, concrete paths, trees, large buildings, and a carpark.

This station is not compliant, but temperatures are reported at Latest Weather Observations.    Luckily, apparently they are not used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 43- Murrurundi (NSW)

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications.

Station:  Murrurundi 61051

Opened: 1870

Daily Temperature data from: 1965

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Scone

Location: Co-ordinates   -31.7678 150.8418

About 250km north of Sydney.

2018 BOM Site Plan:

2019 satellite image:

But the station moved sometime in the last four years, probably from the house yard directly behind.  Here’s the old site plan:

Here’s the street view from 2010 before the screen was installed just metres from an A/C unit.

The old site was non-compliant, and the station was moved to the new site at the Aged Care facility which is also non-compliant, being near an air conditioning unit, near a large building, a road and a carpark.

This station is not compliant, but temperatures are reported at Latest Weather Observations.    Unreliable temperatures from here are also used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 42- Mangrove Mountain (NSW)

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications.

Station:  Mangrove Mountain 61375

Opened: 1994

Daily Temperature data from: 1994

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Sydney, Williamtown.

Location: Co-ordinates   -33.2894  151.2107

About 40km north of Sydney.

2017 BOM Site Plan:

2019 satellite image:

Here’s another station with an overgrown enclosure just two years ago- grass and scrub to one metre high (almost to the height of the screen)- and surrounded by scrub to 3 metres and trees to 8 metres.  It may have been tidied up since then, but the removal of offending scrub and trees would also introduce an artificial change to the site.

This station is not compliant, but temperatures are reported at Latest Weather Observations.    Unreliable temperatures from here are also used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 41- Smoky Cape (NSW)

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications.

Station:  Smoky Cape 59030

Opened: 1939

Daily Temperature data from: 1957

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour

Location: Co-ordinates   -30.9225 153.0871

About half way between Brisbane and Sydney.

2018 BOM Site Plan:

2019 satellite image:

The station is on a very steep slope (1 in 7), right beside a concrete road and a driveway, close to a picket fence and less than 20 metres from a house.

This station is not compliant, but temperatures are reported at Latest Weather Observations.    Unreliable temperatures from here are also used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 40- Forster (NSW)

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications.

Station:  Forster 60013

Opened: 1896

Daily Temperature data from: 1999

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Luckily, none.

Location: Co-ordinates   -32.1756 152.5089

About 230km north of Sydney.

2013 BOM Site Plan:

2019 satellite image:

 Road view:

The station is right beside a blue metal carpark and driveways, and 10 metres from a large brick building.

This station is not compliant., but temperatures are reported at Latest Weather Observations.

FAIL

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 39- Murwillumbah (NSW)

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications.

Station:  Lismore Airport 58158

Opened: 1972

Daily Temperature data from: 1972

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Amberley.

Location: Co-ordinates   -28.3395 153.3809

About 100km south-east of Brisbane.

2019 BOM Site Plan:

2019 satellite image:

 Road view:

The station is at a water treatment plant, beside a wide, well used gravel track and bare ground, and close to water treatment ponds.  The 2019 satellite image shows the pond empty, dried up, and excavated.  The surroundings are subject to change.

This station is not compliant.  Temperatures are reported at Latest Weather Observations. and used to adjust temperatures at Acorn sites.

FAIL

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 38- Grafton AgRS (NSW)

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications.

Station:  Grafton AgRS 58077

(Grafton Agricultural Research Station)

Opened: 1917

Daily Temperature data from: 2002

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Yamba.

Location: Co-ordinates   -29.6224 152.9605

About 150km south of Brisbane.

2014 BOM Site Plan:

2019 satellite image:

The screen and enclosure looks good in 2019 (as far as a satellite photo can tell), but in 2014 the BOM inspection revealed “high grass 0.5 to 1m inside enclosure”.  Remember Viewbank?   Grass is supposed to be trimmed to a few centimetres, but here on at least one occasion this station failed to comply with specifications for several months, as grass does not grow long overnight.  How often did this happen, at how many other sites?

This station is not compliant.  Temperatures are reported every minute at Latest Weather Observations. and used to adjust temperatures at Acorn sites.

FAIL

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 37- Cape Byron (NSW)

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications.

Station:  Cape Byron 58216

Opened: 1994

Daily Temperature data from: 2002

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Yamba.

Location: Co-ordinates   -28.6399  153.6358

The most easterly point on the Australian mainland, Cape Byron is about 150km south-east of Brisbane.

2019 BOM Site Plan:

2019 satellite image:

View from the carpark:

The screen is very close to buildings, paths, fences, and large areas of bitumen carpark (and close to the radiators of parked cars that have just made the steep climb).

This station is not compliant.  Temperatures are reported every minute at Latest Weather Observations. and used to adjust temperatures at other Acorn sites.

FAIL

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 36- Bankstown (NSW)

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications.

Station:  Bankstown Airport 66137

Opened: 1968

Daily Temperature data from: 1968

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Nowra, Point Perpendicular, Richmond NSW, Sydney.

Location: Co-ordinates   -33.9181 150.9864

2016 BOM Site Plan:

2019 satellite image:

The screen is less than 10 metres from the large circular asphalt area under a wind sock, and less than 20 metres from tarmac turning areas and taxiways.  Bankstown is a busy secondary aerodrome with hundreds of aircraft movements each day.

This station is not compliant.  Temperatures are reported at Latest Weather Observations. and used to adjust temperatures at other Acorn sites.

FAIL