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Rain totals for the 24 hours to 9am Monday,
most of which fell this afternoon and this evening. BoM |
Storms,
flooding in northern NSW
Thunderstorms and rain areas again gave heavy falls in a broad
band from the Hunter Valley in NSW to the western Darling Downs in QLD today. For
several days, this zone has coincided with an area of middle-atmosphere uplift
due
in part
to the presence of a strong upper jetstream just to the south. Low-level
northeasterlies have built up inland moisture levels, while a surface trough
running NNW/SSE through central NSW has done its bit to increase instability.
Heavy rain from the Upper Hunter to around Tamworth between about
9am and 3pm lead to local and minor flooding. No flood warning rainfall data
is available, but Nundle SES estimated around 90mm fell in 8 hours in the Crawney
Hills, about 60km SSE of Tamworth, causing the Peel River at Nundle to rise
rapidly, forcing the evacuation of 40 campers and 15 caravans. Nundle SES controller
Tony Taylor told Tamworth's Northern Daily Leader "At 3.30pm
water in the river was discoloured, then within 15 minutes it was muddy as
the river rose to 3.8m at 4.20pm peaked at 4m and then dropped
back to two metres at 6pm." The concrete slab heavy vehicle crossing of the
river beside the main road bridge, which had just been rebuilt following the
17 January flood, was shifted downstream by the force of the floodwaters. In
the Upper Hunter, water was flowing over the New England Highway near Blandford,
which recorded 61.8mm in the 24 hours to 9am Monday. Murrurundi PO's total
was 58.6 of which 40mm fell between 9am and noon today.
A line of storms that developed from near Dubbo to Bourke by early afternoon
moved ENE during the rest of the afternoon and evening giving further heavy
falls. Narrabri Airport recorded 21.6mm in 27 minutes to 7pm, while Angledool
Station, 40km N of Lightning Ridge, recorded 79mm in the 24 hours to 9am Monday.
Over the border in QLD, Thallon recorded 56mm. The Bruxner Highway between
Boggabilla and Yetman was closed by rising streams. In far SW QLD, an extension
of the band of thunderstorms gave Quilpie 48mm between 9 this evening and 3am
Monday.
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