Australian meteorological event (looking for the name)
 

Hello everyone,
the first thing I should say is that I know very little -- close to
nothing -- about meteorology. I find it very interesting, but I just
never got into it.

A few months ago, while browsing wikipedia, I came across a curious
meteorological phenomenon which took place in Australia (or New Zealand,
I can't remember).
It is a 'wall of clouds' which forms suddenty and discharges a violent
storm. I remember reading some pages on other websites about it, and how
some crazy people 'rode the clouds'.
If I recall correctly, it's a common event in a specific part of
Australia (or NZ, again), but for some reason it's not widely known by
the rest of the world.

Could anyone give me some hint about its name? I vaguely remember that
it has "Great" in its name, but I'm not 100% sure.

Thank you very much!
--
Jollino

Australian meteorological event (looking for the name)
 

In article , Jollino wrote:
Hello everyone,
the first thing I should say is that I know very little -- close to
nothing -- about meteorology. I find it very interesting, but I just
never got into it.

A few months ago, while browsing wikipedia, I came across a curious
meteorological phenomenon which took place in Australia (or New Zealand,
I can't remember).
It is a 'wall of clouds' which forms suddenty and discharges a violent
storm. I remember reading some pages on other websites about it, and how
some crazy people 'rode the clouds'.
If I recall correctly, it's a common event in a specific part of
Australia (or NZ, again), but for some reason it's not widely known by
the rest of the world.

Could anyone give me some hint about its name? I vaguely remember that
it has "Great" in its name, but I'm not 100% sure.

Dunno whether this is what you're after, but there's a roll of clouds
comes in over the Gulf of Carpentaria pretty regularly at this time of
year. Commonly referred to as the morning glory. See:

http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/august2003/

for a pretty comprehensive account of the phenomenon.

Heard on Radio Labor yesterday that the glider crowd was
currently quizzing the Met Bureau about forecasts because, on a good
day, they can ride the wave for 100s of kilometres.

Another reference:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/09/16/1032054714456.html

quoting extract from above URL
Russell White, of Byron Bay, was one of two glider pilots who
pioneered the art of soaring on a Morning Glory in 1989. He has
returned every year since. "It is the most fabulous experience. There
is nothing like this in the world," he said.

Turbulence and down-draft make flying behind the cloud dangerous, but
the strong updraft at the front of the wave makes it possible for the
glider to zigzag across it, "very much like surfing on a board". Some
trips last several hours and can cover more than 300 kilometres.
/quoting



Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

Australian meteorological event (looking for the name)
 

In article ,
(Phred) wrote:

Dunno whether this is what you're after, but there's a roll of clouds
comes in over the Gulf of Carpentaria pretty regularly at this time of
year. Commonly referred to as the morning glory.

Morning glory, that's it! Thank you very very very much. I had been
thinking about it for almost 24 hours now. I wonder what Freud would say
about that. :)

The two links you provided were exactly the one I read some time ago.
For someone as uneducated in meteorology as me, it's a twice as
interesting phenomenon.

Thank you again, Phred!
--
Jollino