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Wednesday 03 May 2000

Widespread rain as trough develops over western NSW
Another hot night in NSW and Qld
Rainfall across SE Australia for the 24 hours to 9am today (above) and minimum temperature departures from normal (below)
Warm moist northerlies converging into a surface trough with colder air aloft formed the perfect recipe for heavy rain through western NSW and Queensland border districts today. Enngonia, a tiny settlement north of Bourke, set the pace, recorded 87mm for the 24 hours to 9am today, and there were numerous recordings between 50 and 70mm in the same period. During the day, the main rain influence moved south. Wanaaring in northwestern NSW recorded 85mm in 24 hours to 6pm, while Hillston registered 52mm between 9am and 9pm. Details of heavy falls are given below. The rain fell steadily in most areas, with a lack of short duration heavy falls.

Warm, muggy conditions for May continued across NSW and most of southern Queensland, keeping overnight minimum temperatures remarkably high for late Autumn, and generally a little higher than yesterday. Several record high minima were set -- see box below. Canberra's minimum of 14.7 equalled it's record warm May night, while Sydney's minimum of 18.9 was the warmest May night since the record of 20.8 on 3 May 1942.

Today's highest rainfall totals for the 24 hours to 9am

87.0 Enngonia NSW
72.0 Pretty View Bobadah NSW
69.2 Thule Hut NSW
69.0 Rocky Warrego River Qld

Other heavy falls in inland NSW and southern Qld:
67.0 Hutwell NSW
64.6 Noorama Cunnamulla Qld
64.4 Louth NSW
61.0 Nargoon Tilpa NSW
59.0 Cobar MO NSW
59.0 Bourke AP NSW
58.0 Balowra Nymagee NSW
54.0 Cobar AP NSW
53.4 Kenebree Collarina NSW
52.8 Wanaaring NSW

Today's highest & lowest temps

Other extremes

Rainfall:
Mackay AP Qld: 33mm in 3h to midnight
Thargomindah Qld: 18mm in 6h to 9am
Wanaaring NSW: 85mm in 24h to 6pm
Bourke AP NSW: 22mm in 6h to noon
Cobar AP NSW: 47mm in 9h to 9am
Nyngan NSW: 20mm in 6h to 9pm
Wollongong AP NSW: 19mm in 3h to 3pm
Hillston AP NSW: 52mm in 12h to 9pm
Lake Cargelligo NSW: 22mm in 6h to 3pm

Flood peaks:
Mary at Dagun Pocket Qld: 9.35m at 8.30am with minor flooding
Mary at Gympie Qld: 9.55m at 3pm with minor flooding
Bellingen at Thora NSW: 3.49m early this morning with minor flooding

Records set this day

Highest May maximum temperature:
Ingham Qld: 33.0. Previous record 31.7 (set yesterday!) in 30 years

Highest May minimum temperature:
Bourke NSW: 19.0. Previous record 18.8
Walgett NSW: 19.0. Previous record 18.8
Gunnedah Soil Conservation NSW: 18.8. Previous record 18.6
Maximum Minimum
33.2 Musgrave Qld 26.0 McCluer Is NT
8.7 Mt Read Tas 0.6 Hamilton Res Stn Vic

Greatest variations from normal

Maximum Minimum
+8.3
30.6 Narrabri West NSW		 +12.6
17.6 Quirindi NSW
+12.3
14.5 Woolbrook NSW
+12.1
20.0 Miles PO Qld
-7.6
19.7 Urandangie Qld		 -5.9
10.2 Wittenoom WA

  • 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. Thanks to Blair Trewin for record high minimum temperature figures.