HANG ON: Hannah Mann’s balloons make a bid for freedom yesterday. Photo: Robert Chappel 170812RCC007
NORTH west residents were yesterday left wondering whether they were really living in Tamworth or Gunnedah when weather conditions more closely resembled Chicago the windy city.
While it's traditional for August to be the windy month, yesterday outdid itself in that department.
The children at St Mark's Preschool and Long Day Care Centre in Tamworth found the blowy conditions rather unsettling during their outdoor morning play, teacher Julie Halman said.
"The gale-force winds that blew just before lunchtime distressed a few children, so we felt it was best to retreat inside and find some indoor activities to occupy us," she said.
Most mothers can relate to variations in their children's behaviour on windy days and at St Mark's they were typical kids.
"The children have been pretty high-spirited today, very boisterous and enthusiastic," Mrs Halman said.
"We have decorations hanging off our trees and some little ones felt uncomfortable seeing how hard the wind was blowing.
"They're quite intuitive and could sense danger. And it's true, the noise level definitely increases on windy days."
If you could find a spot out in the sun out of the wind it could have been an almost perfect spring day.
But where do you go to escape it when the cold front coming up from Victoria is pushing winds at us that would blow a dog off a chain?
Technical officer Robbie Lennard from the Bureau of Meterology said the wild and woolly conditions would prevail this weekend, but things were looking up for next week.
"There's a front moving across NSW and a low centred over Victoria," Mr Lennard said.
"The winds are going around that low and the front's coming through, which is why you're getting the colder weather."
Today in Tamworth the mercury will only climb as high as 14 degrees Celsius, with winds to the north-west at 25-35km/h turning west, and in the afternoon 30-45km/h, with an afternoon shower or two predicted.
Fine weather with cold mornings are indicated for tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday with tomorrow's temperature ranging from 1-17, Monday's from 0-19 and Tuesday from 3-22.