burster
also called buster, southerly buster.) A sudden shift of wind to the southeast in the south and southeast parts of Australia, especially frequent on the coast of New South Wales near Sydney in summer.
It occurs in the rear of a trough of low pressure that is followed by the rapid advance of an anticyclone from west Australia. After some days of hot, dry northerly wind, heavy cumulus clouds approach from the south, the wind drops to calm and then sets in suddenly from the south, sometimes reaching gale force. Temperature at Sydney has fallen from 38°C to 18°C in thirty minutes. The average summer frequency of bursters at Sydney is 32. Similar winds are experienced in the east of South Africa, especially near Durban.
Compare norther.
