Why has it been so windy in Melbourne this winter?

Winter in Melbourne is always windy but this year has been a little unusual.

Negative SAM and a long wave trough are to
 blame for Melbourne's recent windy weather.

Strong winds have been flinging car doors open and rattling windows with alarming regularity, but mingled in among the ice-cold blasts has been just a hint of warm air.

Forecaster Ben Matson, who founded surf forecasting website Swellnet, said periods of strong northerly winds in the middle of a Victorian winter did come around "every so often”.

He said two factors were combining to create the current conditions — a negative southern annular mode and a long wave trough over Western Australia.

But don't panic. They're not as incomprehensible as they sound. Let us explain in language scrubbed of (almost) all weather boffin speak.

Read the ABC News story by Nicole Mills - “Why has it been so windy in Melbourne this winter?”