2008 Australian Tennis Open for A.M

Bob Leighton / On-site Meteorologist / An on-site Vaisala and Tony Baldwin / Project Manager / Bureau of Meteorology / Melbourne, Australia weather station proved a valuable resource at 2008 Australian Melbourne Park, which has its own distinct Tennis Open micro-climate. The Australian Open is one of the of rain or extreme heat. Held in the 2008. The meteorological services four Grand Slam tennis tourna- middle of the Australian summer, included the provision of an on-site ments held each year. It is held each the Australian Open is famous for its meteorologist, dedicated Tennis January at Melbourne Park. The notoriously hot days. An extreme- Australia weather website, and an tournament was held for the first heat policy is put into play when on-site Vaisala Automatic Weather time in 1905 and was contested on temperatures (and humidity) reach Station MAWS. grass through until 1987. Since 1988, dangerous levels. the tournament has been held on The Special Services Unit (SSU) Forecast services hard courts. of the Australian Bureau of Meteo- The two main courts used in the rology was commissioned to provide A daily forecast was provided to tournament are Rod Laver Arena and specific meteorological services for the tournament referee by 10:00 Hisense Arena and feature retract- the 2008 Australian Tennis Open for a.m. each day. On occasions when able roofs, which can be shut in case the period 9 -12 and 14 -27 January rain or showers were forecast, a 10 179/2009 weather watch was maintained by could affect the readings at both Dedicated Tennis the onsite meteorologist, mainly sites. Australia weather through the use of weather radar website imagery. As timing is critical in fore- Wet Bulb Global casting weather events, imagery was Temperature The dedicated weather website continually monitored during a likely provided to Tennis Australia rain or shower event and became The wet bulb global temperature performed seamlessly over the crucial in estimating the time of (WBGT) is a heat-stress index whose lead-up and duration of the tourna- return to fine conditions. The on-site value is dependant on air tempera- ment. Added to the site from 2007 meteorologist’s expert knowledge ture and humidity. The WBGT was incorporation of weather obser- of predicting the speed, direction, formulation was developed in the vations from Melbourne Park. At the duration and intensity of weather late 1950s in South Carolina for the request of the tournament referee, a events and the use of sophisticated US Marines who had to exercise table of previous day(s) observations forecasting tools was critical in this under full-sun conditions. Eventu- was provided. This data was also respect. ally, WBGT became of value in the used by management and medical sporting world. personnel operating at Melbourne Weather conditions The critical WBGT value for the Park. during tournament tennis world is 32 and at this value the tournament referee considers Key benefits of the on- The average maximum temperature postponing ongoing matches. At site weather service for the period of the Australian no time did the WBGT reach 32 at Open at the site at Melbourne Park Melbourne Park. On 10 January 2008 The presence of the on-site meteo- as measured by the on-site Vaisala when the temperature registered rologist and the Vaisala Automatic Automatic Weather Station was 25.8° 41.9° C at Melbourne Park, the WBGT Weather Station, together with the C. Average minimum temperature reached 30.9. dedicated Tennis Australia weather was 16.5° C. During the four days of website contributed to the successful the Qualifiers (9 to 12 January), the Automatic Weather provision of meteorological services average maximum at Melbourne Park Station to Tennis Australia for the 2008 was 32.1° C. Australian Tennis Open. In previous years the Bureau of The operation of the Vaisala Auto- Tennis Australia’s organizers had Meteorology’s official Melbourne site matic Weather Station was invalu- immediate access to a knowledgeable at the corner of La Trobe and able in providing up-to-the-minute and personable on-site meteorolo- Victoria Streets was used as the information regarding the ambient air gist, and one-minute weather data source of observational data for the conditions at Melbourne Park. Data from the on-site Automatic Weather Tournament. In 2008, the on-site supplied included air temperature, Station was immediately accessible. Vaisala Automatic Weather Station humidity, dew point, WBGT, wind This was particularly useful, as it was introduced and temperature speed and direction. The station was became clear that Melbourne Park differences between the Melbourne an immediate asset to the on-site has its own distinct micro-climate. Park and Melbourne City sites were meteorologist in nowcasting for the evident. On days when a south- event. Further information: erly airflow was observed or a sea www.vaisala.com/weather/ breeze developed the maximum temperature at Melbourne Park averaged 1.2 degrees Celsius lower than the maximum temperature at the Melbourne City site. On the “The Vaisala Automatic Weather occasions when the airstream had a northerly component and tempera- Station was invaluable in tures were high, the maximum providing up-to-the-minute temperature at Melbourne Park averaged 0.8 degrees above the information” reading at the Melbourne City site. The central business district of Melbourne lies between the Melbourne City site and Melbourne Park and the heat island of the city 179/2009 11.

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