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Rainfall for the 24
hours to 9am today (above), and maximum temperature variation from
normal (below) |
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Tropical cyclone Rosita made landfall 35km
south of Broome today with winds at the centre of the category 4
cyclone estimated at 270km/h and a central pressure of 930hPa. The town
escaped major damage, though there has been massive beach erosion, some
building damage, and trees and powerlines brought down. Electricity to most
of the area was cut, and only half restored by Monday 24 April.
Sustained winds measured at the Airport
were above gale force for about 4 hours from 10pm Wednesday to 2 this
morning, with a maximum gust of 139km/h just after midnight. Press reports
state a maximum gust of 143km/h. West Roebuck, about 30km inland from
Broome township, reported a top gust of 115km/h. The lowest pressure reported
from Broome Airport was 984.9hPa (QNH) at 0.01am.
Torrential rain fell in Broome and immediate
surrounds, with the 24 hour total to 9am Friday at Broome Airport of 167mm
setting a new April record. Totals fell off rapidly away from Broome,
but heavy falls continued in the path of the cyclone, which tracked ESE
at around 20km/h and had weakened to sub-TC status by late morning.
Cloud bands of moisture streaming east
from Rosita continue to give substantial rain around Central Australia.
Papunya, in the Macdonnell Ranges 200km WNW of Alice Springs, recorded
the top 24-hour fall of 64mm, while other falls in the ranges were around
25 to 50mm. It was again a bitterly cold day by Centralian standards,
with maximum temperatures in a strip across the southern NT 15° below
average -- the mercury at Alice Springs only reached 13°.
Farther north around the Top End and
in the Victoria River District, rain and thunderstorms intensified
as E to NE winds converged into Rosita. Wave Hill New Station, 550km south
of Darwin, recorded its heaviest April day's rain in nearly 30 years with
110mm, all but 3mm of this falling after 3pm yesterday.
Thunderstorms with locally heavy rain caused
minor flooding in southern Perth suburbs around mid-morning. Jandakot,
about 20km south of Perth CBD, received 36.2mm between 7.50 and 9am, while
Perth Airport and Kalamunda received 14 and 16mm respectively between
6 and 9am. Satellite pictures show storm clouds building rapidly between
2 and 5am, probably in response to a sharpening surface trough just off
the coast, an upper jet stream entrance overhead, and cooler middle atmosphere
air moving overhead and increasing instability.
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