I decided to check what BoM temp data there was for Nowra – just south of the Shoalhaven River south of Wollongong in NSW.
I found there is an ancient Nowra Council Offices 68105 which has data from ~1912 to ~1934 with gaps then nothing at Nowra.
WW2 increased activity at the HMAS Albatross Navy airfield a bit S of Nowra and BoM started max n min t from 1956 for – Nowra Ran Air Station
68076. Then in year 2000 I assume it changed to AWS as Nov 2000 was the last month for 68076 and Nowra Ran Air Station AWS 68072 the current station started with Nov 2000 the first full month.
So BoM monthly data tables at CDO imply there was only a one month overlap in switching to AWS.
I downloaded the data from CDO and pasted to a spreadsheet and I was surprised at the large increase in both max & min readings for Nov 2000 in AWS over what I assume was liquid in glass thermometer.
I emailed what I had found to an expert in BoM data and he reported that there were only a few days data in Nov 2000 to make the presumed overlap. You could not make this up.
The relevant four links are below and just now the BoM pages will not show the daily data for me.
I have not tried looking at either “siteinfo” pdf yet.
What do readers think about BoM not doing a decent overlap (several years?) at this site where staffing could not have been an issue. Links below to monthly data at BoM CDO (Climate Data Online)
Monthly mean maximum temperature Nowra Ran Air Station 68076
www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=36&p_display_type=dataFile&p_startYear=&p_c=&p_stn_num=068076
Monthly mean maximum temperature Nowra Ran Air Station AWS 68072
www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=36&p_display_type=dataFile&p_startYear=&p_c=&p_stn_num=068072
Monthly mean minimum temperature Nowra Ran Air Station 68076
www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=38&p_display_type=dataFile&p_startYear=&p_c=&p_stn_num=068076
Monthly mean minimum temperature Nowra Ran Air Station AWS 68072
www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=38&p_display_type=dataFile&p_startYear=&p_c=&p_stn_num=068072
So let me restate to get my head around magnitude of this BoM monstrosity.
Over half a decade after BoM were routinely changing their weather stations from liquid in glass thermometers to electric platinum resistance probes.
At a station where there is onsite plenty of 24/7 Gov paid staff.
Not in the boondocks but in an LGA with near 100,000 population so a wide range of tradie services would be readily available.
BoM decide to introduce the AWS with ZERO overlap.
Then BoM clumsily fake the Nov 2000 monthly mean max and mean min spreadsheets for the two stations to make it look as though they at least carried out overlap readings for a MONTH.
As you said; You could not make this up.
Doubtless some will label this comment as “cynical”, although the real cynicism is in the unaccountable abuse of power:
Power *will* be abused. That simple …
This seems a whole lot more complicated than you might first think.
Here is a quote from the old site info. The old glass thermometer site that closed on Nov 28 2000.
“01/JAN/1996 INSTALL Temperature Probe – Dry Bulb (Type Unknown S/N – Unknown) Surface Observations”
www.bom.gov.au/clim_data/cdio/metadata/pdf/siteinfo/IDCJMD0040.068076.SiteInfo.pdf
And just to keep the fun happening here are two quotes from the new site info. That is the one that “opened” on Nov 28 2000.
“08/NOV/2000 SYSTEM Surface Observations Commenced”
“12/MAR/2019 REMOVE Thermometer, Mercury, Dry Bulb (Type Dobbie S/N – 16946) Surface Observations”
www.bom.gov.au/clim_data/cdio/metadata/pdf/siteinfo/IDCJMD0040.068072.SiteInfo.pdf
I think the site moved in November 2000 from another location with no obvious location overlap but both sites at some period compared resistance thermometers to Self registering glass thermometers.
From 1030am on 22nd the Nowra Ran Air Station AWS 68072 (see xls file) produced faulty rain data until 9am on 24th when possibly a person noted and ceased the fault.
www.bom.gov.au/products/IDN60801/IDN60801.94750.shtml
I had noticed the site was not showing on BoM “coloured coded dots rain/flood pages –
www.bom.gov.au/nsw/flood/southcoast.shtml
In all of 2022 the site never failed to record a day – showing zero when there was no rain.
www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=136&p_display_type=dailyDataFile&p_startYear=2022&p_c=-926768124&p_stn_num=68072
On 23rd and 24th March 2023 it should show a data gap if the data reflects the fault. Nowra 68213 recorded 10mm on the 24th.
Looks like the problem started with the maximum wind speed and maximum temperature going missing on the 22nd. Then the minimum temperature and rainfall went missing on the 23rd and the rainfall 24th.
www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/202303/html/IDCJDW2101.202303.shtml
Jones 1986 station #949750 Hobart from 1841 – the following annual mean T data where complete years exist is from Jones 1991 presumably I was sent a disk.
Hobart b Jones 91 Hobart a Jones 91
1841 13.2
1842 12.5
1843 13.1
1844 12.2
1845 13.2
1846 12.9
1847 12.7
1848 11.9
1849 11.2
1850
1851 12.8
1852 12.1
1853 11.6
1854 12.1
1855
1856 13.3
1857 13.1
1858 13.2
1859
1860
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865 13.2
1866 13.3
1867
1868
1869
1870 13.2
1871 13.4
1872 14.2
1873 14.3
1874 13.8
1875 13.8
1876
1877
1878
1879
1880
1881
1882
1883 13
1884 12.1
1885 12
1886 11.9
1887 12.4
1888 12
1889 12.5
1890 12.9
1891 12.4
1892
1893 12.7
1894 12.9
1895 12.6
1896 12.6
1897 12.2
1898 12.7
1899 12.7
1900 12.3
1901 12.3
1902 11.9
1903 12.1
1904 12.1
1905 12.3
1906 12.1
1907 12.6
1908 12.7
1909 12.4
1910 12.9
1911 12.6
1912 13.1
1913 12.5
1914 12.4
1915 12.8
1916 11.9
1917 12.3
1918 12.5
1919 12.5
1920 12.5
1921 13.1
1922 12.7
1923 12.3
1924 12
1925 12.1
1926 12.8
1927 11.8
1928 12.9
1929 12.1
1930 12.8
1931 12.1
1932 12.4
1933 12
1934 12.7
1935 12.3
1936 12.4
1937 12.4
1938 12.6
1939 12.5
1940 12.4
1941 12
1942 12.5
1943 11.8
1944 12
1945 12
1946 11.7
1947 12.7
1948 12
1949 11.6
1950 12.3
1951 12.4 12.3
1952 12 12.3
1953 12.1 12
1954 12.5 12.3
1955 12.3 12.2
1956 12.2 12.2
1957 12.2 12.2
1958 11.9 11.9
1959 12.6 12.6
1960 12.4 12.4
1961 13.1 13
1962 12.6 12.5
1963 12.2 12.1
1964 11.9 11.9
1965 12.1 12.2
1966 12.2 12.4
1967 12.3 12.6
1968 12.2 12.5
1969 12.5 12.5
1970 12.2 12.4
1971 12.7
1972 13.1
1973 13
1974 12.8
1975 12.6
1976 12.3
1977 12.6
1978 12.6
1979 12.9
1980 13.3
1981 13.3
1982 13.1
1983 12.6
1984 12.7
1985 12.4
1986 12.4
1987 12.8
1988 13.5
1989 13.1
1990 13
1991 12.7