Australian Weather News |
Saturday, 01 SEP 2001 |
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Much of northern WA and
southwestern NT experienced well below normal temperatures this morning.
Minima were between 6 and 12 below the September average, with Watarrka
(Kings Canyon), 250km west of Alice Springs, recording -2.8°, 16.3 below
normal and a September record in the site's short 10-year computerised history.
More significant was Port Hedland's overnight minimum of 7.7, easily
breaking the airport's previous September record of 8.4 in over 50 years
of record. Other records are given below. A burst of cool, dry air from
well south of Australia was responsible for the cold conditions.
The cold airflow over the nation's west also contributed to the development of a deep secondary low pressure system south of WA last Wednesday. This low tracked slowly east to cross the SA coast south of Adelaide late last night with a central pressure of 990hPa. During today, the low continued to move slowly east into SW NSW, bringing widespread rain to southern and central SA. The heaviest falls were in a strip from Kangaroo Island through Adelaide to the northern Flinders Ranges. Hawker, 90km NE of Port Augusta, recorded 39.4mm in the 24 hours to 9 this morning, and a further 54mm between 9am and 3pm, giving the town 88mm in 24 hours ended 3pm. When the gauge was read at 9am Sunday 2 September, the total of 55.6mm in the gauge was the heaviest September one-day total recorded at Hawker in 115 years of readings. Blinman, 90km NNE of Hawker and close to Wilpena Pound, recorded 52.2mm to 9 this morning. Wilpena Pound recorded 125mm Most roads around Wilpena and Blinman were closed or restricted to 4WD vehicles by rain damage, with the Brachina Gorge and Bunyeroo Gorge roads suffering heavy damage. Over 100 people were stranded at Wilpena Pound, and there were fears that others were isolated by rising creeks in the Flinders Ranges National Park. A 4WD vehicle was washed into a creek 15km north of Blinman during the afternoon stranding four people. Farther south, heavy rain fell on the Fleurieu Peninsula and in Adelaide late in the day and into Sunday. Parawa, 75km SSW of Adelaide recorded 43mm between 3 and 9pm as an active convective rainband to the west of the low moved only slowly northwards, with a total of 77mm recorded to 9am Sunday. Adelaide's Kent Town weather office registered a record September total of 43.2mm to 9am Sunday, about 42mm of that falling between 5pm today and 7am Sunday. The previous record of 40mm was set on 20 September 1923 in a record stretching back for 140 years if the old Adelaide West Terrace site is included. Local flooding of Adelaide roads was widespread during Sunday morning, while a tree was blown onto a house in the Adelaide suburb of Netherby on Saturday night. Unseasonally early and widespread thunderstorms occurred this evening along the Queensland southern and central coast as the cold front associated with the SA low moved through. 24 hour totals to 9am Sunday of between 30 and 70mm were common, with Bowen Airport recording its highest September daily rainfall in 14 years of record with a reading of 39.6mm. The Gap, 50km NW of Rockhampton, recorded 70mm to 9am Sunday. On the NSW North Coast, $14,000 damage was caused by storms to a partly completed extension to the Lennox Head Surf Club, and a house lost its roof in Murwillumbah. Roads were blocked by fallen trees, and parts of Lismore, Wyrallah, Casino, Ellangowen and Rappville lost power. A small severe thunderstorm, with hail large enough to damage cars, is believed to have struck Wyong, 70km N of Sydney late afternoon. |
National
weather extremes for today |
|
Quality control note: Data is complete, and has been visually checked by AWN for gross errors. Less obvious errors may remain. See Explanation of Extremes Pages for more information | |
Records
set this day (previous
record and years of computerised record shown in brackets): Lowest minimum temperature for September: Derby AP WA: 11.7 (12.4, 14) Port Hedland AP WA: 7.7 (8.4, 53) Warburton AF WA: 0.0 (0.2, 10) Telfer AP WA: 6.2 (7.0, 24) Watarrka NT: -2.8 (-0.6, 10) |
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Todays highest rainfall totals for the 24 hours to 9am. It includes the top 5 totals received, and/or all reported falls of 50mm or more. 52.2 BLINMAN NE Pastoral SA
|
High rainfall for periods of 6 hours or less. |
Todays highest & lowest temperatures |
|
Maximum | Minimum |
35.0 MIDDLE POINT AWS 35.0 JABIRU AIRPORT Darwin-Daly NT 34.2 KALUMBURU MISSION N Kimberley WA 34.2 OENPELLI Darwin-Daly NT 34.0 KALUMBURU N Kimberley WA 34.0 MILINGIMBI Arnhem NT |
25.0 DUM IN MIRRIE Darwin-Daly NT 25.0 NORTHERN ENDEAVOUR 24.0 MCCLUER ISLAND Darwin-Daly NT 24.0 CAPE FOURCROY Islands ISL 23.6 TROUGHTON ISLAND N Kimberley WA |
0.0 THREDBO (CRACKENBACK STATION) AWS Snowy Mtns NSW 0.0 MT HOTHAM Upper NE VIC 1.0 MOUNT BULLER Upper NE VIC 2.0 PERISHER VALLEY SKI CENTRE Snowy Mtns NSW 2.7 MOUNT WELLINGTON Southeast TAS |
-4.0 THREDBO (CRACKENBACK STATION) AWS Snowy Mtns NSW -3.5 THREDBO VILLAGE Snowy Mtns NSW -3.0 PERISHER VALLEY SKI CENTRE Snowy Mtns NSW -2.8 WATARRKA Alice Springs NT |
Todays greatest temperature variations from normal |
Maximum | Minimum |
+4.0 31.0 SOUTH JOHNSTONE EXP STN N Coast--Herbert
QLD +3.8 16.0 MAATSUYKER ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE Southeast TAS +3.2 30.1 WALKAMIN DPI N Coast--Barron QLD +3.1 14.6 STRATHGORDON VILLAGE W Coast TAS +2.7 34.0 MILINGIMBI Arnhem NT |
+6.1 13.4 MITCHELL POST OFFICE Maranoa QLD +6.0 11.0 WYNYARD AIRPORT N Coast TAS +5.2 12.9 INJUNE POST OFFICE Maranoa QLD +5.1 15.3 NELSON BAY (NELSON HEAD) Hunter Valley NSW +4.8 10.0 LONGERENONG Wimmera S VIC |
-11.4 11.7 LEIGH CREEK AIRPORT NE Pastoral SA
-10.5 23.2 BALGO HILLS Interior WA -10.4 19.4 WATARRKA Alice Springs NT -9.8 22.7 ALI CURUNG Alice Springs NT -9.3 23.6 TELFER AERO Interior WA |
-16.3 -2.8 WATARRKA Alice Springs NT -11.1 0.0 WARBURTON AIRFIELD Interior WA -10.1 6.2 TELFER AERO Interior WA -9.8 3.0 GILES METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE Interior WA -9.5 3.6 YUENDUMU Alice Springs NT |
Highest wind gusts above 89km/h or mean wind above 62km/h (gale force). Wind direction and mean windspeed shown in brackets. CEDUNA AMO W Agricultural SA
: 80 (230/ 63 ) at 00:30 |
Other extremes .. |