Hi Steele,

No, just recognising the 1939 hottest for what it actually measured using a different screen from what what was used in the 2018 reading for what IT measured. As well, the 1939 rating was made at the West Terrace station in Adelaide, while the 2019 reading was taken at Kent Town, where temperatures are usually higher than at West Terrace, by as much as two degrees.

I wish there were many weather stations well away rom cities, which have not had much population rise in their environments since records began, so that we can compare apples with apples.

Cheers,

Joe

Steele,

Just one more thing: has anybody (surely, yes) done studies of the heat-island effects of cities over time, as they grew and used more energy. One would surely expect that a city of a million would have less of a heat-island effect than one of, say, five million, even the same city over time.

Joe

Aiden,

From this article I found cost comparisons for new supply:

https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/renewables-to-be-cheaper-than-coal-even-without-climate-policy-csrio-says-20181221-p50nnq.html

Given the 80% vs 25% capacity advantage of coal over renewables (excluding the cost of batteries and integrating infrastructure), it is cheaper to build new coal fired power, but by far the the cheapest high capacity option is gas open cycle. New and untested technologies need to be tested and proven on a small scale before being adopted on a large scale. I see no sense in putting the welfare of Australians at risk with untested and unproven technology.

And here is an article discussing the problem of connecting infrastructure:

https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/tyranny-of-distance-the-renewable-power-disconnect-20181214-p50mc4.html

Note in the article that a 2 gigawatt offshore wind farm was costed at eight billion dollars. If it works at 40% capacity you would need at least two of them, maybe even three or four, to match a coal fired power station at 80% capacity. Would it cost sixteen to thirty two billion dollars to build 2 gigawatts of coal or gas open cycle generation? Would the "When the wind blows" generation be as reliable? Maybe you could ask a sailor?

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43997/the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-text-of-1834

Dear Loudmouth,

You wrote,

"As well, the 1939 rating was made at the West Terrace station in Adelaide, while the 2019 reading was taken at Kent Town, where temperatures are usually higher than at West Terrace, by as much as two degrees."

No it wasn't. Both readings are from the same gauge. The West Terrace gauge 026000 was reinstated in 2017 after being closed since 1979.

"After being located at Kent Town for 40 years, the official observation and forecast location for the city of Adelaide will return to its original site at West Terrace on 14 June 2017."

"The official record of weather observations for Adelaide extends back to 1871, with a few breaks. It draws on observations from West Terrace (1871–1979) and Kent Town (1977–2017). However, urbanisation has become increasingly visible as the years have passed at Kent Town, with obstruction by nearby buildings potentially jeopardising the reliability of measurements."

"The West Terrace site now offers the best location for a meteorological weather station. The site allows the Bureau to take high-quality observations that meet the international observing standards of the World Meteorological Organization. The station is already providing observations of air temperature, wind speed and direction, air pressure, rainfall, and relative humidity. From 14 June 2017, these observations will be available on the Bureau's website at ten-minute intervals."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-14/bom-weather-station-returns-to-adelaide-parklands-west-tce/8616310

So mate which qualifier are you going with now? the screens or the heat island effect?.

Adelaide. Third day in a row, low 20s, misty rain. Forecast for the rest of the week: 18 with rain; 20; 23, 27.

February is the hottest month here, but not this year. Haven't seen or heard the media shouting this as they did with the high ones, only one of which was abnormal.

Believe the climate, not the hysterics.