Australian Weather News

Go to the main news page Find a place on a map

Monday 17 January 2000

Today's weather extremes

 Heatwave strengthens in SA
heavy storm falls in S Qld, NE NSW 13Apr00
Storms around Darwin NT07May00

Highest rainfall, 24 hours to 9am

117.0 Coconut Island Qld
86.0 Bamaga School Qld
85.0 Maplewood Guy Fawkes NSW
58.0 Cape Fourcroy NT
 The heatwave that has cooked South Australia for the past week increased in intensity by several degrees today. Overnight minima in a band across the west coast and central north down to Adelaide were some 4 or 5° warmer than yesterday, putting them 8 to 15 above the January average. Port Pirie's minimum of 32.2 was a whopping 14.9 above normal. Daytime temperatures also stepped up a couple of degrees, with all except the far SW and SE of the state recording maxima between 40 and 45°. Notable highs and variations from normal are shown at left.

Substantial thunderstorms developed on the Qld Darling Downs and NSW Northern Tablelands and Slopes today. Warwick appears to have been hardest hit with 23mm and small hail falling in a storm just before 4pm, which also brought wind gusts to 81km/h. 16.2mm fell in 18 minutes to 3.53pm at the height of the storm. Around 3,000 homes lost power on the Darling Downs due to lightning strikes. Powerlines were reported down in Warwick, Toowoomba, southern Brisbane suburbs and the northern Gold Coast. Earlier, Barraba on the NSW NW Slopes recorded 22mm and hail in a storm, while hail to 3.5cm diameter was observed 20km east of Inverell around 6.30pm. Winds gusting to 93km/h destroyed three sheds and ripped branches off trees with a storm at Narrabri.

Strong winds and lightning strikes with a thunderstorm squall line caused damage in and south of Darwin, NT. Power blackouts in Darwin were widespread, with 1438 lightning strikes recorded in two hours.

Highest & Lowest Temps

Maximum Minimum
45.2 Mt Dare SA
45.0 =Oodnadatta AP SA, Lyons Siding Tarcoola SA
44.6 Kyancutta SA
 32.2 Port Pirie BHAS SA
30.6 Arid Lands Port Augusta SA
15.1 Katoomba NSW -1.2 Lake St Clair Tas

Greatest variations from normal

Maximum Minimum
+15.6
44.0 Ceduna AP SA
+15.4
40.8 Elliston SA
15.2
44.0 Whyalla Town SA		 +14.9
32.2 Port Pirie BHAS SA
+13.5
28.1 Snowtown SA
+12.8
28.2 Kimba SA
-8.2
25.5 Narembeen WA		 -7.7
14.8 Yeelirrie WA
Other extreme readings
Rainfall:
Darwin AP NT
33mm in 1hr to 9pm
Coconut Is Qld
146mm in 12hrs to midday
Jimna Forestry Qld
23mm in 3hrs to 9pm
Oakey AP Qld
21mm in 3hrs to 9pm
Records set this day
.

  • 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.