Official BOM Reply Re: Melbourne Observation & Wind

As some of you may have noticed, the BOM observation station in Melbourne stopped reporting wind information almost a month ago. We contacted the BOM to find out if this was a permanent thing or not, and here is their response:

“I have made some enquiries as to the status of the wind reports from the Melbourne City site and due to the influence of nearby buildings and the poor exposure of the sensor it was decided to turn off the wind reports from 1 September 2009. The suggested alternatives to use for Melbourne (winds) are Essendon Airport or if you need another backup St Kilda Marina.”

So there you have it, if you want wind from the Melbourne Observation post you could be waiting a long time. Pocket Weather AU let’s you switch though, so our recommendation is that if you care about the wind, choose one of the observation stations mentioned above 🙂