The bureau takes its readings from Orange airport at Spring Hill, 13 kilometres from the central business district and the records from Orange residents compared to those at the airport vary greatly. 

However, a website run by the bureau and the United Kingdom meteorology office, Weather Observations Website, allows members of the public to share weather observations, including those from third-party automatic weather stations, sightings and photos. 

Ideally, if people were to upload to the website regularly, the bureau would more accurately predict weather, up to a week in advance.

Orange residents are yet to use the website but a bureau spokesperson said it would welcome any contribution from Orange residents. 

Bureau Observing Strategy and Operations assistant director Anthony Rea said the data uploaded to the Weather Observations Website by the public would complement data delivered around the clock from more than 700 official automatic weather stations across Australia.

“The Weather Observations Website provides a platform for the public to share weather information for any location in Australia helping communities connect with what is happening quite literally in their own backyard or on the other side of the continent,” Dr Rea said.

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But there is not much hope of any official recordings coming from the Orange CBD, as the weather station at the Orange Agricultural Institute is manned by volunteers, which was why data was occasionally missing.

“The Bureau of Meteorology’s automatic weather stations are often situated at airports because the aviation industry has strict weather requirements for operating at airports,” the bureau spokesperson said. 

“There is strong demand from a number of communities for new automatic weather stations, however, the Bureau of Meteorology does not have provision within its current appropriation for additional locations in Orange.”

Orange City councillor Neil Jones said the bureau would have more accurate predictions if people were to upload localised figures to the website.

“There’s variants all over the city, the more information the better.”

The website can be found at bom-wow.metoffice.gov.uk