Australian east coast low

An east coast low on 27 July 2020 taken by Himawari 8

Australian east coast lows (known locally as east coast lows, maritime lows, and east coast cyclones[1]) are extratropical cyclones or low-pressure systems on the coast of southeastern Australia that may be caused by both mid-latitude and tropical influences over a variety of levels in the atmosphere.[2][3] These storms should not be confused with Australian region tropical cyclones which typically affect the northern half of the continent.[4]

The most intense of these systems have many of the characteristics of subtropical cyclones.[5] They develop between 25˚ south and 40˚ south and within 5˚ of the eastern Australian coastline,[1] mostly during autumn and early winter with a peak in June.[6][7][8] Prior to the introduction of satellite imagery in the early 1960s, many east coast lows were classified as tropical cyclones. ECLs are responsible for more than half of all days with rainfall above 50 mm (2.0 in) in the southeastern seaboard.[9]

  1. ^ a b Leslie, Lance M.; Speer, Milton S. (1998). "Short-Range Ensemble Forecasting of Explosive Australian East Coast Cyclogenesis". Weather and Forecasting. 13 (3): 822–832. Bibcode:1998WtFor..13..822L. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(1998)013<0822:SREFOE>2.0.CO;2.
  2. ^ Dowdy, Andrew J.; Graham A. Mills; Bertrand Timbal; Yang Wang (February 2013). "Changes in the Risk of Extratropical Cyclones in Eastern Australia". Journal of Climate. 26 (4): 1403–1417. Bibcode:2013JCli...26.1403D. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00192.1.
  3. ^ East coast lows and climate change in Australia The Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub
  4. ^ Harper, Bruce; Ken Granger (2000). "Chapter 5: East coast low risks" (PDF). In K. Granger & M. Hayne (ed.). Natural hazards and the risks they pose to South-East Queensland. Australian Geological Survey Organisation in conjunction with Bureau of Meteorology. ISBN 0642467080. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  5. ^ Dowdy, Andrew J.; Mills, Graham A.; Timbal, Bertrand (2011). "Large-scale indicators of Australian East Coast Lows and associated extreme weather events" (PDF). In Day K. A. (ed.). CAWCR technical report; 37. CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology. ISBN 978-1-921826-36-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  6. ^ East coast lows Bureau of Meteorology
  7. ^ Holland, Greg J.; Lynch, Amanda H.; Leslie, Lance M. (1987). "Australian East-Coast Cyclones. Part I: Synoptic Overview and Case Study". Monthly Weather Review. 115 (12): 3024–3036. Bibcode:1987MWRv..115.3024H. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1987)115<3024:AECCPI>2.0.CO;2.
  8. ^ Lim, Eun-Pa; Simmonds, Ian (2002). "Explosive Cyclone Development in the Southern Hemisphere and a Comparison with Northern Hemisphere Events". Monthly Weather Review. 130 (9): 2188–2209. Bibcode:2002MWRv..130.2188L. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(2002)130<2188:ECDITS>2.0.CO;2.
  9. ^ Intense east coast lows and associated rainfall in eastern Australia Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science, 2021, 71, 110–122. CSIRO PUBLISHING. Acacia Pepler and Andrew Dowdy