A water meter in Iris Street became a mini tourist attraction over the weekend when water sprang from a broken seal and formed an ice sculpture in the long grass next to the road. The photograph was taken at midday on Sunday.
It’s been so cold across New South Wales, the NSW Fire and Rescue Service has been forced to warn people not to fire up barbecues indoors. Some residents must have been having an inside ‘cook’ to keep warm. The average minimum temperature in Canberra has traditionally been 0C in July, so -7C is well below average.
The nation’s capital hasn’t been the only place where freezing temperatures have impacted residents. The twin towns were hit with a lingering high pressure system which has brought clear skies to much of the country’s south east and has provided pleasant days, however, the lack of cloud cover has seen all that daytime heat escape leading to bitterly cold nights.
The coldest nights this year occurred early on Saturday morning, when the nation’s capital fell to -8.7C, the coldest in 46 years. Three consecutive nights below -7C was also a first for 46 years. Goulburn fell to -10C on Sunday, it’s coldest start to the day in 17 years. It was only a little better first thing on Monday morning plunging to -9.4C. Harden Murrumburrah was hit with -5 on Saturday evening and -6 on Sunday. Around the creek was probably a few degrees colder again. The weekend proved to be a busy time for Council staff who replaced up to 40 water meters over a 48 hour period. Many of which had cracked or leaked due to the extreme cold. Local Plumber Dale Ashton was also kept busy with calls coming in over the weekend for jobs on the resident’s side of the water meter.
Home owners were affected with no water at some properties until midday with pipes frozen for several hours. One home suffered damage when pipes in the roof burst, causing damage to ceiling lights, an air conditioner and wiring in the house. Many animals were unable to access water from buckets and troughs until well into the afternoon Farmers reported issues with burst pipes and fittings in paddocks however, they are seeking water from the sky not the tap if winter prospects are to improve pastures and assist with crop growth.
For those undertaking Dry July this month and ceasing intake of alcohol, they can rest assured most of the population will also be relatively dry this month, and relatively cold.
