It seems odd to think, when we’re shivering through a winter cold snap, but East-Coast Aussies love a good southerly buster, when a hot north-westerly wind swings south suddenly.

They’re a regular feature of our summers, and bring welcome relief from long hot days. But, they also bring destructive storms and winds, they damage property, and they cause drama at sea and for aviation.

New research shows global warming is affecting our traditional ‘cool change’. The southerlies of Eastern Australia have become more frequent but less intense over the past 25 years.

Dr Milton Speers, Fellow at the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, in the University of Technology Sydney, joined us this morning, to talk about the shift in these southerly winds, and how we might need to adapt to it.