I am about to clock up six months in Mount Isa and I’ve seen and experienced plenty in that time.
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But what I hadn’t done – until this week at least – was felt cold.
That changed with a blast of icy air from down south.
That air brought about a fair chill in the mornings this week.
It isn’t freezing and I suspect never will but it was enough to keep my head planted under the blankets in the morning far later than was necessary.
And allied to the late rising of the winter sun, is making getting out of bed tough work at the moment.
Actually I take back what I said about it being never freezing.
Looking through the records the lowest minimum ever recorded in Mount Isa in June is -1.3 °C.
The records say July is even colder with an all-time low of -2.9 °C so even if it doesn’t get down to that, there are likely a few shivering mornings to come.
But I shouldn’t complain.
The average daytime temperatures are plus 24.8 °C which southern centres would kill for at the moment.
And when I recall the forty-plus temperatures with added humidity that I stumbled into when I arrived in Mount Isa on January 5, it really is a pleasant change and one that likely will be over all too soon.
By September the average temperature will be climbing back into the thirties and before we know it the hot and sticky weather of the wet season will be back.
And with a likely La Nina to accompany it, we might be in for a tough flood season to come.
The latest Climate Outlook from the Bureau of Meteorology say the odds favour above average rains in the months to come.
The Bureau are not yet in a position to give a firm outlook on the summer months but based on previous La Ninas it could get wild.
But that’s the challenges of living in inland northern Australia and we must take the bad with the good.
The good at the moment are the gorgeous days when you don’t want to come inside and instead just bask in the lovely sunshine. DB