Bella Donna

...and you're going to live in one of the coastal suburbs, make sure you bring:

1) A heavily-weighted washing basket
2) A well-fitting hat that stays firmly on your head at all times
3) Strong clothes pegs

and try and remember to get the washing out in the morning, unless you want to be round at your neighbour's all the time saying "can I have my washing back please?".

And when the weather forecast here says there will be a *fresh breeze* along the WA coast - interpret it to mean the UK equivalent of a gale!

Mind the tumble dryer is pretty much redundant nowadays....

Centurion

Hey Bella,

Hope all is well. Your post made me curious and I found a half decent explanation :

The Freemantle Doctor!

The South-West area of WA is subject to significant sea breeze activity during the summer months. The prevailing wind is a strong, gusty, hot easterly, but during the day the land heats rapidly and a strong sea breeze crosses the coast.

The sea breeze occurs over two thirds of the days between the months of November to February, and can reach wind speeds of more than 20knots. As the easterly wind and the sea breeze battle for supremacy, strong wind turbulance occurs. A significant low-level wind shear can develop as the cooler air cuts under the warmer easterly.

Basically seems to get better outside the summer months and if its anything like Brisbane in the summer those winds are very welcome indeed. Much of the reason I am on the coast. No doubt long term residents of WA can enlighten more.

Bella Donna

Hi Centurion,

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Yes, the Doctor is partly to blame - although frankly this is one Doctor I can't live without, being a heat hater. It's pretty breezy here most days, but enjoyable. I love the wind normally, but some days it's a bit strong even for me. I think my washing line must be in a vulnerable position, but I get a bit weary at times of being slapped in the face by wet washing and needing a second pair of hands to help get the sheets on the line. There are just odd days - and today is one of them - when it's so strong as to make washing a royal pain.

But hey, it probably is keeping the temperature a good few degrees down on inland, and I have to admit it is an absolutely fantastic day out there. Only around 28°C here, but that's spot on for me.

I think we must be acclimatising - when dh went out with the dog first thing, he thought it was cold. It was 20°C - we would have thought that was balmy back in England!

Sue

Clippy

Lol, sorry I had to laugh at the being slapped in the face with wet washing that's happened to me here.

Actually you may be able to help weather wise, we're coming to WA in June, on week in Ocean Reef and one week in Dunsborough - I understand it's winter so need to know what sort of clothes to bring - as in today here it's minus 2 and snowing so I need my big thick parka and the little un needs his thermals! I'm guessing it's not going to be quite so bad there???

Bella Donna

Not nice, is it? I can only imagine being hit in the face with a wet piece of cod would be worse!

We came for a visit end of last May/beginning of June, and it was like late English spring/early Autumn. We started our visit in Sydney and it wasn't as pleasantly warm there as it was here in WA. We visited Rockingham and Fremantle then, and while I wore a lightweight leather coat on our boat trips, that was the only time I wanted one. I'd bring light coats/jackets, and perhaps fleeces for evening time, along with some long-sleeved tops. But that may be no help at all as we all feel the heat in our family!

Sue

Clippy

Well I definately feel the heat, and so do my brother and sister in law who are coming with us. My mother and father in law are sun worshippers though and feel the cold so I'd guess they'd need winter coats

Thanks Sue that's useful though, I can tell everyone to put their thermals away

worzel

The only time it bothers me is when we are on the beach and it picks up about lunchtime and blows sand so hard it stings.

Larissa

Ocean Reef will be chilly and windy in the winter, although you probably will want light coats in the day...it's never as cold as the UK in the day time as the sun often pops out to brighten it up. But bring lots of jumpers, socks, woolies etc. for evening, which can be *chilly* indeed with the way the houses are built. Warm pjs, dressing gown, slippers and even socks are needed at night.... sexy !

Clippy

Lol really is it that cold at night? I don't wear pjs in bed now cus I get so hot in my sleep!

Bella Donna

I wonder now if I will ever use my 9 tog duvets again - we've been on 4.5 since we came here. But I fancy our house is going to get very cold during the winter, so maybe they will be resurrected again.

Guess you must be hot stuff in bed, Kath!! Comment from your other half on that?

Clippy

Lol, yes that must be it! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

We usually have a 4.5 tog on our bed, has to be damn cold for us to switch to a heavier one.

michellemac

Yes - this is all true. The Fremantle Doctor is very welcome in summer and you will find that although on very hot days the maximum temperature for coastal suburbs doesn't differ too much from those in the hills which are fuirther from the sea, the difference is it cools off earlier in the day, so you have fewer hours at 35+C (for example).

incidentally, Perth is supposed to be the second windiest city in the world. No idea which is the windiest. Not Chicago though which is earned the nick-name of 'The Windy City' because it's politicians were full of hot air during the Prohibition, NOT because it is particularly windy, weather-wise.

For the person asking about June, my husband and I went for 4 weeks in June/July 2000. I am from Perth but live in the UK and remember finding this time of the year cold when I was a Perthite but when we went from UK we had numerous days of warm sunshine, temps 20-24C but cold nights - we even had a few frosty mornings. My husband and I wore jeans and t-shirts most times and then covered up with jumper and/or puffa jackets in the evenings. At the end of our holiday we had several days of heavy rain and 16C which felt quite cold. But never was it cold enough for a full winter coat/scarf/hat combination.

Michelle

Clippy

Fab thanks, I'll leave my parka at home then

Scossie

Hmmmmmm...???

Some true, some not true.
The sea breeze comes in all year round. Not just in the summer.
I think it holds some kind of record for being the most predictable daily weather feature in the history of the universe!!

Perth doesn't really have a prevailing wind cos it's surrounded by hills, & is usually fairly calm in the mornings before the sea breeze comes in.
If we do get a strong easterly in summer it's always stinking hot and even though it's windy it's like standing in front of an open oven!!!

On a day like that the sea breeze coming in is very welcome!
I live in South Perth which is a bit inland, but have lots of mates who live nearer the coast. On a stinking hot day, they'll get the relief of the sea breeze as much as 2 hours before it reaches Perth! (Lucky Bar Stewards)..

Anyway, I seem to be a bit too informative for a Friday night, & need to get back to talking pish!
Consider yourselves enlightened.....

biggy

ohhh tooo serious geeze some pish man