Norfolk island bureau of meteorology

The Norfolk Island Meteorological Office is part of Australia’s national weather, climate and water information service.  It is situated within the airport grounds and has three employees called Weather Observers or Technical Officers.   It operates from 7 am until midnight every day of the year. 

What do we do?

Our job is to keep a keen eye on the weather and we use electronic instruments, computers and radar to collect and record meteorological data for climate, forecasting and aviation purposes.  We take readings of air pressure, wind, temperature, humidity, evaporation, sunshine hours and rainfall. We do visual observations of cloud, visibility and the prevailing weather conditions every half an hour and this weather information is put on the Internet so people who need it can get it quickly.  Pilots especially need accurate information to safely operate their aircraft. 

We release and track weather balloons every day.  They carry radar targets and radio-sonde transmitters that gather information on temperature, humidity and the strength and direction of the wind.  We measure these in the layers of the atmosphere up to 35 kilometres high above Norfolk Island. The biggest balloon is released at 10.45am daily.

The office sends weather and oceanographic forecasts and warnings to the public via radio Norfolk, the aviation industry, defence services, primary industry and tourist operators.  If very bad weather like a cyclone comes near  the island we work 24 hours a day tracking and reporting information about it until the threat passes.

The Met Office conducts tours of the weather station explaining the instruments, radar and balloon flights and answers any weather related questions from tourists and school groups. Anybody who wants to visit the office can call 22079.

Some useful websites:

Australian Bureau Meteorologyhttp://www.bom.gov.au/index.shtml

Norfolk Island Meteorological Office. http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/nsw/norfolk/

Norfolk Is Live Weather observations linkhttp://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDN60801/IDN60801.94996.shtml

Norfolk Radar link http://comms.bom.gov.au/radar/products/IDR622.loop.shtml

Weather-words link  http://www.bom.gov.au/info/wwords/

Interactive Cloud quiz link  http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/Students_Teachers/animations/quiz.shtml

Norfolk climate averages and extremes link http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_200288_All.shtml