• Have you anything to add to these stories? Or even a new story? Contact me at wbc@ozemail.com.au
• Times stated are the clock time in force in the relevant state or territory
• Stories, including those in the archives, are as new and corrected information becomes available, with updates underlined

Acknowledgments: Australian Weather News gratefully acknowledges the Bureau of Meteorology as the collector and main source of meteorological data in Australia, along with the thousands of observers who record the weather and rainfall daily. I also thank Don White, Michael Bath, Jimmy Deguara, Jacob Aufdemkampe , and Michael Thompson who routinely provide me with much appreciated information.

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Cold, moist southwesterlies brought heavy rain to western Tasmania yesterday and today, falling as snow on higher parts of the West Coast and Central Highlands. Zeehan recorded 59mm for the 24 hours to 9am today, while the automatic weather station atop Mount Read behind Zeehan recorded 47mm in 30 hours to 3pm, much of that falling as snow. Snow was also reported from Lake St Clair and from Liawenee on the western shore of Great Lake. In NSW, Woolbrook, near Walcha, reported snow flurries through the day, while snowfalls of 10 to 15cm occurred overnight in the Snowies.

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Heavy frosts for September were experienced on the NSW Northern Tablelands this morning. Tenterfield recorded an overnight minimum of -6.0°, 10.6 below normal, while Woolbrook, a well-known frost-hollow near Walcha recorded -5.0, 6.5 below. Light snow was reported at Woolbrook late yesterday before the skies cleared and temperatures plummeted. In Queensland, frost-level minima were reported over the Darling Downs, Maranoa and Central Highlands. Oakey AP recorded a minimum of -1.0°, 7.8 below, and Tambo PO 1.1, 7.5 below.

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Warm northerlies ahead of an advancing trough gave Western Australia's central and southeastern districts an exceptionally warm day for September. Maximum temperatures were from 8 to 16 above the September norm, with Eyre, on the coast 425km east of Norseman, recording a top of 36.4C, 15.9 above average. Balladonia Roadhouse recorded 34.8 (+12.9) and Eucla Airport 33.0 (+12.0). On the state's north coast, Mardie homestead nearly topped the old century mark with a maximum of 38.3, 6.1 above normal. Overnight minima in the area around and north of Kalgoorlie were close to 10 degrees above average, with minima of 17.0 at Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport (+9.2) and 19.2 at Leonora PO (+9.2).

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A trough system which moved across the west coast this morning brought heavy rainfalls to Western Australia's central coastal areas around Geraldton overnight. The automatic weather station on the north island of the Abrolhos Group, 110km NW of the town, recorded 63mm for the 24 hours to 9am, 54 of that falling between 6 last night and 3 this morning. Nabawa, 35km NE of Geraldton, recorded 49.6mm to 9am, while Geraldton Airport registered 48.0, with 20.6 falling in 2½ hours to 3.30am.

Queensland's southeast coastal fringe between Brisbane and Gladstone received some heavy falls overnight and during the day in a moist, unstable onshore windflow. The tiny Town of 1770, on the coast 70km SE of Gladstone, recorded 84mm in the 24 hours to 9am, while Maroochydore Airport received 40mm between 9am and 3pm today.

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A series of storms which swept across Sydney this evening produced reports of large hail, downed trees and cut power supplies in a band from around Parramatta to the northern beaches. Radar showed two significant storm cells develop within an hour of one another in the area west or south of Parramatta. They then moved generally northeasterly. Hail damage was reported at Parramatta, 1½ to 2cm hail at North Ryde, and around 2½cm hail at Gladesville, Seaforth, Mona Vale and Terrey Hills on the northern beaches. Power was cut to about 4,500 homes, and the SES received around 20 calls to deal with fallen trees, flash flooding and lightning damage to houses. The heaviest report of rain received was 30.4mm between 6 and 8pm at the Olympic Stadium AWS at Homebush, while Wedderburn recorded 18mm in the hour to 6pm. Granville recorded 24mm and Castle Cove 21.3 in the 24 hours to 9am Thursday.

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Maximum temperatures tipped the old century mark in South Australia today, and were 10° or more above average in southern NT, southwestern Queensland and western NSW. The development of a summery surface trough from northwestern Australia to the southeastern states has drawn abnormally warm air into the region, producing temperatures just two degrees below the all-time September record temperature for South Australia of 40.5C. Oodnadatta Airport today recorded a top of 38.4, 12.3 above average, Mount Dare reported 38.0, Marree PO 37.5 (+12.2) and Marla 37.7 (+11.7). Overnight minimum temperatures were warm, too, with Oodnadatta reporting 20.0 (+9.0), Tibooburra in northwestern NSW 18.9 (+9.0), and Tumbarumba in southeastern NSW 12.0 (+9.2).

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The area of well-above average temperature moved east today to cover northeastern SA and much of western NSW, with a large area reporting both minimum and maximum temperatures more than 10° above the September average. The highest overnight minimum temperatures were in northwestern NSW, where Tibooburra recorded 22.5, 12.6 above normal, and White Cliffs 21.2 (+12.5). Highest departure above average was recorded at Thredbo Village in the Snowy Mountains, where the extraordinary minimum of 12.5 was 13.4 above average. Highest daytime temperatures were again in northern SA where Mount Dare recorded a top of 39.0, but the greatest departures from normal were in western NSW, with 35.3 (+13.0) at Ivanhoe, 36.3 (+12.6) at White Cliffs and 35.7 (+12.4) at Wilcannia.

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Two separate troughs swinging moist tropical air southwards were responsible for widespread thunderstorm outbreaks in WA and NSW today. Little rain was reported from some dramatic WA electrical storms, which occurred in much of the southern half of the state. Telephone services to thousands of subscribers in southern Perth suburbs and towns in the southwest were knocked out by the storms. Those in NSW gave brief bursts of heavy rain -- Cooma Airport gauged 10.2mm in 10 minutes to 12.56pm. In South Australia's mid north, Yongala reported 45mm in the 24 hours to 9am Sunday, likely falling from an isolated storm.

Lord Howe Island received a brace of heavy showers as a seemingly modest trough line passed during the early afternoon. 59mm fell between 9am and 3pm, 44.6 of this in the 3 hours to 2pm.

Hot conditions continued across western NSW, northeastern SA and southern NT, with both minimum and maximum temperatures 8 to 11° above average. In southern Queensland, Cunnamulla recorded an overnight minimum of 21.8, 11.4 up on normal, and Bollon reported 19.8 (+10.8), while in NW NSW, Tibooburra recorded 20.2 (+10.3). High maximum temperatures relative to average were Marree SA 35.7 (+10.4), Kulgera NT 35.6 (+9.6) and Nyngan NSW 31.8 (+9.5).

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Unseasonably high temperatures in the northwest of WA were transported southwards ahead of an approaching cold front to give central southern WA temperatures 10 to 14° above normal today. Telfer Airport in the Gibson Desert in the state's north recorded a top temperature of 39.9, it's highest September temperature in 22 years of record. In the south, Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport recorded 34.0, 11.9 above average, Ravensthorpe 32.0 (+12.5) and Munglinup, 75km east of Ravensthorpe, 32.4 (+13.7). In NSW, SA, southwest Qld and the Centre, temperatures were a little lower than yesterday, but still 6 to 10 above average. Birdsville experienced a particularly uncomfortable night with a minimum of 24.7, 12.9 above average.

Widely scattered storms during the afternoon and continuing into Monday gave sporadic heavy rain across NSW and southern Queensland. Boomi, 85km NNW of Moree in central northern NSW recorded 67mm in the 24 hours to 9am Monday from slow-moving overnight storms. Talwood, 30km to the north, and over the border in Queensland, recorded 56.6, while St George, 100km further northwest, recorded 41mm. Farther south in NSW, scattered storms occurred throughout the day, and broadened into rain areas along the Hunter and Mid North Coasts and Central Tablelands. Bulahdelah recorded 71.5mm between 9pm tonight and 3am Monday.

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Maximum temperatures were up to 15° above normal while overnight minima were up to 12 above in much of South Australia and southeastern WA today. Eucla Airport's maximum of 36.0 was 15.0 above the station's September average, while in SA, Elliston recorded 33.4 (+14.7) and nearby Polda Basin registered 34.1 (+14.3). Meningie in South Australia's southeast recorded a top of 29.1, nearly a degree higher than any September maximum at the station in 27 years of record. Adelaide City recorded a top of 30, 12 above. Parts of western Victoria and Tasmania also recorded maximum temperatures close to their records for September. Overnight temperatures were also well above normal, with Marree PO recording a minimum of 21.7 (+12.4 on normal), Andamooka PO 21.9 (+11.9) and Nonning 17.9 (+11.3).

Bushfires broke out in the Charters Towers region southwest of Townsville on Saturday, burning through Sunday and causing some damage to buildings and cars.

A moist ENE convergent windstream produced heavy orographic rainfall on the NSW Blue Mountains today, with my own station in Hat Hill Road Blackheath recording 90.0mm between 6pm Sunday and 2pm today. 79.8mm fell in the 24 hours to 9am. Other 24-hour falls were 63.0 at Mount Boyce, between Blackheath and Mount Victoria, 61.6 at Kurrajong Heights, 57.6 at Lawson and 56.8 at Katoomba. Farther south, the Illawarra escarpment also produced some heavy falls, with Robertson recording 85mm in the 24 hours to 9am with 35 mm in an hour around 3pm yesterday, and another 28 mm in 2 hours from 6pm yesterday. A heavy thunderstorm gave Nyngan in the state's central west 38mm between 9am and 3pm.

Strong winds and brief local heavy rain accompanied a frontal passage in southwestern WA today. Busselton Jetty and Rottnest Island both recorded gusts of 83km/h mid-afternoon, while Bullsbrook, 35km north of Perth, recorded 15mm between 6 and 9pm.

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Temperatures 8 to 17 above the September norm continued across most of South Australia today. Tarcoola and Kyancutta in the state's west recorded minimum temperatures of 25 and 23.4 respectively, both 17 above normal, with a brace of stations in the state's central areas recording overnight temperatures 11 to 14 above. Adelaide's minimum of 21 was 12 up on average. Daytime temperatures were fairly uniformly 12 to 15 above average, with Tarcoola recording 38°, 15 above normal, and Ceduna's 35.0 13.8 above. Maxima were also up to 12 above in parts of western Victoria and southern Tasmania, where Geeveston, south of Hobart, recorded an unseasonal 27°.

A narrow band of showers produced a localised heavy fall at Mount Seaview, in the upper Hastings Valley west of Port Macquarie, New South Wales. The station received 76mm in the 24 hours to 9 this morning, falling fairly uniformly over the period. In Queensland, a moist onshore stream brought in scattered heavy showers the length of the coast. Cape Tribulation, north of Cairns, recorded 63.6mm in the 24 hours to 9am Wednesday, while Baroon Pocket Dam, near Maleny, 80km NNW of Brisbane, registered 55.8mm in the same time. A heavy shower gave Proserpine Airport 19.6mm in 17 minutes to 7pm.

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Gusty, warm northerly winds ahead of a cold change produced overnight minimum temperatures 8 to 14 degrees above normal across most of Tasmania, Victoria, western NSW and southwestern Queensland this morning. Melbourne City's minimum of 21 was 13 above the September average, while Grove, south of Hobart, recorded a minimum of 18.1, 14.2 above. The change moved slowly across western Victoria during the day, dropping the temperature at Ballarat to just 10.8° by 3pm. Maximum temperatures ahead of the change in southeastern Victoria and most of Tasmania, however, were still up to 12 above average. Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale in Victoria's East Gippsland recorded tops around 29.5, 12.5 above, while in Tasmania maxima were generally around the mid-twenties, 11 or 12 above normal. Winds ahead of the change were gusty in the high country, with top gusts of 102km/h at Mt Hotham and 94km/h at Dunns Hill near Mt Dandenong.

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A stagnating frontal system over central Victoria and NSW brought continued warm weather and patchy heavy rain to the eastern halves of both states today. Minimum temperatures this morning in a broad band from western Queensland to eastern Victoria were 8 to 11 above average, with the greatest extremes at Bombala (13.4, 11.2 above), Tumbarumba (13.2, +10.4) and Albury Airport (15.4, +10.3). Heavy rain fell steadily in Alpine areas -- Thredbo Crackenback recorded 93mm in 36 hours to 9pm with a temperature well above freezing, while in Victoria, Falls Creek had similar conditions with 70mm in 30 hours to 3pm. Good rain also fell through much of central Victoria and central and southern NSW, with many locations in northeastern Victoria and the eastern Riverina and Southwest Slopes of NSW reporting 25 to 60mm for the two days to 9am Friday. Wagga Soil Conservation received 68mm over the two days, while in the 24 hours to 9am Friday, Batlow recorded 65mm, Tumbarumba 43.8 and Cowra 41.

Moist onshore winds brought unseasonably heavy orographic rain around Mt Bartle Frere, 80km south of Cairns. Topaz, to the mountain's west, received 93mm in the 24 hours to 9 this morning, while Babinda to the east received 76.8mm. The September monthly average in the area is around 80mm.

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