Good read on the ABC today about Australia's declining weather observation stations - and the important work that historical climatologists like Linden Ashcroft do, unearthing old records of weather obs.

As a kid, my family kept daily rainfall observations - it was always fascinating looking at the old records.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-19/australias-shrinking-rainfall-observation-network/106502184

#Weather #Climate #WeatherAndClimate #Australia #YourABC

The quiet disappearance of Australia's rainfall observation network

For more than 60 years, Frank Pritchard has diligently checked the weather, adding to a record that stretches back more than a century. But he's part of a quietly shrinking network of observers around Australia. Without it, scientists say we risk missing out on important information that could help improve weather forecast models and climate projections.

@michcampbell I was talking about this with my supervisor on Monday. I have a list of weather stations from 2020 when I started my PhD. I downloaded a list on Monday. In my =spare time= I will compare the two files 🧐

@SeaFury it's actually a worry!! Especially for rain when - as Linden points out in the article - it's so heterogeneous across the landscape.

Will be keen to hear what you find (although 'spare time' at the end of the PhD is usually in the negatives! Hope you're hanging in there)

@michcampbell I am especially interested in rain too. I am writing the discussion. The lit review was amorphous πŸ₯΄ the end is nigh πŸ₯° I am also working on a rain model for eastern Australia. One of my colleagues built one, so I want to see if I can come up with a different one. I worry we will end up with models instead of empirical data 🀯