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Thursday 24 August 2000 |
Wet, windy
and snowy in northeastern Tasmania Heavy rain on Norfolk Island Snow, hail and storms in NSW Hot in Darwin |
Heavy rain continued to fall
through Bass Strait overnight, giving Deal Island, about halfway
between Wilson's Promontory and Flinders Island, its heaviest August
24-hour total in over a century of records. In the two days to 9 this morning,
the island as registered 138.4mm, while Flinders Island Airport has recorded
111mm. During the morning, a weak low developed near Wilson's Promontory,
strengthening the already strong pressure gradient over Tasmania and leading
to 12 hours of gale force winds through Banks Strait, off Tasmania's northeast
coast, where the Swan Island lighthouse reported wind gusts over
90km/h for much of the day.
Moderate to heavy rain continued in Tasmania's northeast highlands, with the heaviest snow for many years reported from the Ben Lomond ski resort. 73mm of melted precipitation was recorded there in the 3 days to 9am. The road into the tiny ski resort was blocked by snow yesterday, reopened briefly today allowing stranded skiers off the mountain, then closed again. Over 2,000km to the northeast, moist winds converging into the trough line still fanning out across the Tasman from the low over southeastern Australia gave Norfolk Island 6 hours of heavy showers. The island's airport recorded 90.6mm between 8pm and 2am Friday, giving a respectable 101mm for the 24 hours to 9am Friday. Light snow was again reported from higher parts of the NSW Central Tablelands early morning. Oberon recorded 3cm snow depth around dawn. The cold pool moved up the ranges, giving several hours of heavy snow during the evening at Nullo Mountain, 1150m above sea level in the upper Hunter Valley. Snow heavy enough to briefly close the New England Highway was reported late evening in and around Guyra, with light snow farther north around Glen Innes continuing into Friday. Earlier in the day, a heavy dump of small hail caused traffic problems on the Hume Highway near Hilltop, just north of Mittagong, while wintry thunderstorms in the state's west caused power blackouts at Quambone, 60km NW of Coonamble, and in the Gulgong area. Meanwhile, a by-product of the extensive low over southeastern Australia has been to push high pressure into northern Queensland. With clear skies and low humidity, Darwin sweltered through its warmest late winter day in 30 years with a top of 35.3, the earliest date for a 35+ degree day since 1969. |
Today's highest rainfall totals for the 24 hours to 9am 93.6 Deal Is Tas Heavy falls in central northern South Australia: 36.2 Blinman High falls for other periods: Norfolk Is AP: 90.6mm in 6h to midnight Tasmania |
Today's highest & lowest temps |
Other extremes . Records set this day Highest
one-day rainfall for August:
(previous record and years of
computerised record shown in brackets): |
|
Maximum | Minimum | ||
36.0
Kalumburu WA 36.0 Gumbalunya Oenpelli NT 36.0 Jabiru AP NT |
24.0 Coconut Is Qld | ||
-3.0 Crackenback NSW | -12.0 Charlotte Pass NSW | ||
Greatest variations from normal |
|||
Maximum | Minimum | ||
+5.9 33.0 Cooktown AF Qld |
+5.7 15.0 Jurien WA |
||
-5.3 11.0 Lameroo SA -5.3 13.0 Nyngan AP NSW |
-8.5 -2.0 Eyre WA |
|