Wild temperature variations across the continent
Hail, snow and gales in Tasmania
Rain from the same rainband yesterday and this morning also gave parts of Sydney their heaviest falls in months. Liverpool registered 60.7mm, Castle Cove 29 and Prospect Dam 25.2, going some small way towards alleviating the city's long dry spell. Rainfall on the Central Coast between Wollongong and Newcastle in the past 6 months has been in the bottom 5% of all recordings, gaining the area a severe rainfall deficiency appellation from the Bureau of Meteorology.
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| Maximum temperature variation from normal today. BoM |
Another dramatic temperature contrast occurred in Western Australia. Kellerberrin, in the central wheat belt east of Perth, equalled its record low October minimum, set just 3 days ago, with another recording of -0.5, 9.4 below average. It was the nation's coldest minimum compared to normal. Nearby Cunderdin Airfield recorded 0.2. Later in the day, the temperature at Geraldton, on the coast 420km to the northwest, topped out at 33.0, 8.7 above normal, while Carnarvon, farther north, recorded 37°, the national high departure from normal at 11.3 above.
A strong cold front swept across Tasmania during the early morning, bringing widespread hail and highland snow. Atop Mt Wellington, behind Hobart, the temperature dropped to -2.7 at midday and -3.7 at 3pm, giving some idea of the coldness of the southwesterly airstream. Hobart Airport reported hail showers and 55km/h average winds at their midday and 3pm observations, while wintry thunderstorms occurred across the island.
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