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30 Mar 2024, 12:00AM UTC
Bad weather bitter news for chocolate prices
Fill your car boot with chocolate Easter eggs then drive back and get some more because chocolate prices are on the way up and appear likely to skyrocket in coming months. Here at Weatherzone, we try to put a positive spin on even the worst weather, but there is no sugar-coating the fact that a combination of bad weather, disease, and tree failure in Africa has created a deficit of cocoa, the key ingredient of chocolate. Originally from South America, the 6-to-12 metre tall cacao trees that produce cocoa beans are grown in tropical regions around the world, including parts of Australia. But 80% of the world's crop is grown in West Africa and that, unfortunately, is the area affected. El Niño has been part of the problem in that region, with drier conditions resulting in lower cocoa yields than normal. Unusually strong harmattan winds haven't helped either. The harmattan is a seasonal wind that blows from the dry Sahara down towards tropical West Africa. In an average year, it creates dust haze but no other major problems. But when the winds blow strongly as they have this year, tree dieback can occur. As mentioned, there have also been issues with diseased trees in some areas, while some cocoa-producing areas have seen rains that were too heavy. Image: The Easter bunny is not amused at rising chocolate prices. Source: iStock. It all adds up to cocoa prices which are reaching record levels. This week, cocoa futures topped $10,000 per ton on trading for the first time. This continues a steady increase in recent years after prices hovered between $2000 and $4000 in the two decades between 2000 and 2020. Indeed, the Australian Financial Review reports that we're already paying 9% more than last year on this 2024 Easter egg crop and could be paying double by next year. Happy Easter, and make sure the kids don't leave any eggs in the garden during the Easter Egg Hunt: those little chocolate treats are becoming more valuable than ever before.
Today, 3:50AM UTC
Hello lovely long weekend!
The Easter long weekend is finally here! On Wednesday we told you about the rain event we’re expecting early next week (read more here), but let us see what we have in store over Easter ahead of this possibly heavy rainfall. High pressure over the country’s southeast will bring mostly clear skies and dry days over the weekend. Adelaide looks to have a beautifully sunny weekend with temperatures peaking at 30 degrees both days. A lovely year to have a beach themed Easter. Clouds will start to form on Monday, but there won’t be any rain till later in the evening. In Melbourne, the sun will be out for most of the weekend keeping temperatures in the lower-to-mid 20s during the day. Not a bad way to start the school holidays outdoors. It’ll mainly be overcast on Monday, but we should be able to enjoy the rest of the long weekend before the rain starts falling Monday afternoon. We may even get a few flashes of lightning in the evening. The forecast is looking dry for Hobart, with the exception of a light shower of two through Saturday evening. Though it will be cloudy over the weekend, capping temperatures at 20 degrees. Increasing sunshine on Monday will let temperatures peak in the 20s in post-Easter celebrations. Both Canberra and Sydney will have a lovely Easter weekend. Sunny skies and warm but not too hot temperatures are just a few of the gifts we’re expecting this Easter. In Canberra temperatures look to peak in the high 20s each day whilst Sydney will have nice mid-to-high 20 temperature peaks as easterly winds bring refreshing coolness to the coast to stop those temperatures from rising above 30 degrees. Brisbane temperatures will also be relatively nice for the city with patchy clouds keeping temperatures in the mid-to-high 20s, with some cooling showers sprinkling over the city each afternoon. The sun is out as usually for this time of year in Perth, but persistence of southerly winds will make sure temperatures will be nice in the mid-to-high 20s throughout the long weekend. And last, but not least, Darwin. Thunderstorms and rainfall looks to be confined to late afternoon and evenings during the weekend, meaning that there is ample sunshine to have a lovely outdoor time with the fam. Back with the UV index being extreme, don’t forget to slip, slop, slap, seek and slide before you head outdoors. So enjoy the beautiful weather this long weekend!
28 Mar 2024, 1:07AM UTC
Exceptionally warm, dry March for parts of SA
Soaring temperatures and abundantly clear skies have just caused one of the warmest and driest Marches on record in parts of South Australia. Abnormally high pressure near southern Australia this month has kept rain-bearing systems away from SA, leading to plenty of warm and dry weather across the state. Image: Clear skies over SA on March 28. This was a familiar sight during March 2024. In the northern pastoral districts, daytime maximum temperatures have averaged around 35 to 37°C at Maree, Oodnadatta, Moomba and Coober Pedy. While temperatures have been lower further south, Adelaide’s running average maximum of just over 29°C so far this month is about 3°C above the long-term average. Based on observations up to 9am on March 28 and forecasts for the remainder of the month, parts of SA are on track to register one of their hottest Marches on record. Oodnadatta’s mean maximum temperature should come in somewhere around 36.9°C at the end of the month, which would be its second hottest March on record behind 38.3°C from 1986. Data at Oodnadatta dates back to 1940. Coober Pedy’s average maximum temperature for the month should end up around 35.5°C, which would be its 3rd hottest March behind 1986 (36.6°C) and 1978 (36.2°C). In addition to this month’s near-record heat, the state’s rain gauges have seen little rainfall over the last few weeks. Adelaide has only picked up 3 mm of rain so far this month and doesn’t look like it will see any precipitation before the end of March. It’s been 9 years since March was this dry in the state capital. Further north, Clare’s running monthly total of 0.4 mm is its lowest in 30 years. Looking ahead, a burst of rain and thunderstorms will soak the state’s north in the final days of March as tropical moisture drifts south along a low pressure trough. There is a chance that some of this moisture will also deliver rain over the state’s south in the first few days of April, although this is not locked in at this stage.
Weather in Business
31 Jan 2024, 5:54AM UTC
Powerful waves to impact port operations
Deceptively powerful surf is forecast for this weekend, as heavy waves originating from the Southern Ocean hit the NSW coastline. The heavy surf will be whipped up by a low-pressure system sweeping across the south of the continent later this week. The map below shows wave heights of 3-4m are expected across the central and southern NSW coast on Friday and Saturday. Image: Significant wave height forecast at 5pm Saturday, February 3 according to Wave Watch III In Sydney waters, wave heights are forecast to peak at 4 to 4.5 metres on the weekend. These wave heights will create very rough seas off the Sydney and Illawarra coasts on the weekend. While the waves will be large, it's the wave period that will generate the deceptively powerful surf. Wave period is the average time between crests (or troughs) of waves. The larger the time difference, the greater the amount of energy associated with the waves or swells. The wave period should reach 10-12 seconds along the Sydney coast and south on Saturday. The map below shows the high period waves impacting the central and southern coastline on Saturday. Image: Wind wave period at 4pm on Saturday, February 3, according to Wave Watch III Looking ahead, the long period swell should move offshore by Monday easing conditions along the NSW coastline. Weatherzone Business offers a comprehensive suite of services, refined through years of collaboration with the marine, ports and offshore industries, to optimise the safety and efficiency of your operations. For more information, please contact us at business@weatherzone.com.au.
04 Jan 2024, 4:03AM UTC
Why did electricity demand hit a record low?
On the closing day of 2023, rooftop solar boomed in SA and Vic while record low energy demand was recorded in the two states. On Sunday, December 31, mild temperatures and sunny skies were behind the new record low energy demand in SA and Vic. The satellite image below shows the clear skies on Sunday across Australia's southeast mainland, which allowed rooftop solar output to become the leading energy source in SA and Vic. Image: Himawari-9 satellite image at 1pm AEDT on Sunday, December 31, 2023. Source: RAMMB/CIRA According to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), Victoria’s minimal operational demand was 1,564 MW on Sunday, December 31, which beat the previous record that was set Sunday, November 12, 2023. SA’s demand dropped into the negatives on the same day, reaching as low as -26MW on New Year's Eve, which trumped the previous record low set back in October 2023. These new records superseded the ones set only several months ago, showing the National Energy Market (NEM) has had a period of abnormally low demand in the past couple of months. This has been driven by cooler temperatures under the influence of a positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and the waning impact of El Nino in December. The image below shows that on the same day, rooftop solar (yellow) contributed most of SA and Vic energy needs. Image: Vic and SA electricity generation on Sunday, December 31, Source Wattclarity The Image above also shows that wind and solar farms contributed near zero energy demand during the middle of the same day. It also shows that brown coal and rooftop solar were the two main sources of energy for the grid in the middle of the day in the states. On Sunday, winds were relatively light under the influence of a high-pressure ridge extending from Bight to the southern Tasman Sea. According to AEMO, rooftop solar contributed two-thirds of VIC's & all of SA's total energy needs on December 31. New operational demand records set in VIC (1,564 MW) & SA (-26 MW) on 31 December 2023, with #rooftopsolar contributing two-thirds of VIC's & all of SA's total energy needs. On the day, wholesale electricity prices averaged -$66.54 & -$73.02 ($/MWh) in SA & VIC, respectively. pic.twitter.com/0JUorY4wG4 — AEMO (@AEMO_Energy) January 2, 2024 Rooftop solar has been increasing year-on-year since 2018, driven by a boom in solar installations across Australia. Looking ahead, January looks to be wetter and cloudier than average across much of the NEM. February is expected to see near-to-below average rainfall and cloud, which could increase solar output in the closing month of summer.