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Saturday 1 January 2000

Today's weather extremes

 Torrential rain in WA Kimberleys
Heavy storms in SE Qld and NE NSW13 Apr 2000
Cold in western NSW and Qld

Highest rainfall, 24 hours to 9am

300.0 Kimberley Coastal Camp Kalumburu WA
139.8 Doongan WA
131.2 Troughton Is WA
127.6 Theda Kalumburu WA		 Troughton Island, about 250km NW of Wyndham on WA's Kimberley coast, recorded a phenomenal 455mm between 3am and 9pm today. Nearly 300mm fell in 9 hours between 9am and 6pm. The cause was a shallow off-shore low pressure system, supported by colder air and strong divergence in the middle atmosphere which produced a relatively localised area of vigorous uplift. The automatic raingauge on the island recorded 50mm in 3 hours to 6am, a further 49 to 9am, 71 to midday, 94 to 3pm, 132 to 6pm and 60 to 9pm. The station's 24 hour total to 9am was 131.2mm, with a further 400mm falling to 9am Sunday -- breaking the station's previous all-time 24 hour heavy fall in a record going back to 1956. Doongan, 80km away on the mainland, recorded 140mm in the 24 hours to 9 this morning, with a further 76 between 9am and 3pm. Unrelated thunderstorms at Nyang Station, 150km S of Onslow, started fires from lightning strikes during the morning, then dropped 41mm on the property in 3 hours to 6pm.

Heavy thunderstorms occurred from the NSW Northern Tablelands and North Coast into southeastern Queensland this afternoon and evening, with a particularly nasty storm unroofing a house and garage, and damaging a second home in Bundaberg, Qld. A confirmed tornado was responsible for at least part of the damage. Golfball size hail and strong winds were reported with this storm, while hail was also reported from Rockhampton. Hail and strong winds were also reported in a strip from west of Gympie to Tin Can Bay, with hail to golfball size damaging fruit and vegetable crops. A houseboat in Tin Can Bay was destroyed and many others damaged when strong winds caused them to drag anchors. Coastguard equipment measured wind gusts to more than 130km/h.

In NSW, 20mm fell in a storm between 5 and 6pm at Armidale Airport accompanied by hail in the city, briefly closing the New England Highway. Some 50 buildings were damaged, and hail, described as being up to 4cm in diameter, also damaged hundreds of cars and plants in gardens and nurseries. Unmelted hailstones were still lying on the ground at noon, Sunday. See detailed report from Australian Severe Weather. Earlier, a line of storms which moved NE through the North Coast late on New Year's Eve and early this morning produced heavy rain, light hail and winds estimated at 80km/h. Details of other heavy falls are given at left.

Both overnight and daytime temperatures across the western halves of NSW and Qld were 6 to 10 degrees below normal today, with a record cold night reported at Longreach, Qld.

Highest & Lowest Temps

Maximum Minimum
41.4 Nyang WA 30.0 Alyangula NT
8.0 Crackenback NSW -1.3 Mt Wellington Tas

Greatest variations from normal

Maximum Minimum
+9.3
34.4 C Naturaliste WA		 +7.2
25.5 Carnamah WA
-11.5
26.0 Warmun Halls Creek WA		 -9.7
13.4 Longreach AP Qld
Other extreme readings
Rainfall
Toolara Qld
16.8mm in 10 mins to 12.40pm
Ballina AP NSW
11.8mm in 10 mins to 12.42am
Records set this day
Longreach AP Qld: coldest January minimum temp in 33 years record -- 13.0 breaking previous record of 13.4

  • 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

  • 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 and the many contributors to the Aussie Weather mailing list who routinely provide much appreciated information.