The science of meteorology at this time was in a stage of transition from a two-dimensional study of conditions at the Earth's surface to a three-dimensional investigation made possible by a few soundings of the upper air by pilot balloon and aeroplane. Thus, the Australian meteorologist had not only to test the validity of theories and methods developed overseas when applied to local conditions, but had also continually to keep abreast of overseas developments in the field of meteorology, at the same time striving to discover explanations for atmospheric processes at work in the region.

The position at the time when the meteorological branch was put on a wartime basis as the RAAF Meteorological Service was therefore that the application of frontal methods of synoptic analysis to local conditions were largely untried and the application of these methods to airline forecasting was in an embryonic stage. In these circumstances, every meteorological office in the Commonwealth became a centre of investigation and each forecaster, to perform his routine duties, found it necessary to become a research worker with the atmosphere as his laboratory.

In 1940 an air-mass and frontal analysis section was established at the headquarters of the service in Melbourne to make an intensive study of the available literature and to test the application of methods of analysis to local conditions. After a period of experimentation, the section began the issue of a daily advisory statement to all field sections containing the headquarters' idea of the situation, distributed a technical memorandum giving a method of frontal analysis suitable to local conditions and commenced the monthly issue of a series of notes in which the analyses for each day of the month were discussed.

Bureau of Meteorology