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Seasonal heavy rain associated with the monsoon trough fell across the NT Top End and WA Kimberley today and is detailed in Wettest and Downpours below.
 NSW: Widespread fires on a hot stormy day
Bushfires flared in southern, central and eastern parts of the state today as temperatures pushed above the old century mark across most of the state. Top temperature was 46.3 at White Cliffs in the far NW, but heat records were being set or equalled in the east. Lithgow recorded a top of 38.0, its highest temperature for any month in 39 years of record, while Bowral's top of 40.0 was equal to the Southern Highlands town's 36 year high. Seabreezes helped to keep temperatures down on the coast: Sydney's Observatory Hill recorded a benign 29.9, but both Parramatta and Prospect Dam reached 42.0 and Camden recorded 42.4. In the Hunter, Cessnock recorded 43.4.
A trough with an embedded low moved swiftly across southern and central parts of the state today, triggering thunderstorms and some strong wind gusts including 117km/h at Thredbo Top Station, 91 at Forbes and Camden, 83 at Kurnell, 78 at West Wyalong and 76 at Broken Hill. The storms were mostly dry, and this and the associated stong wind gusts did not help firefighters.
- Grassfires started by sparks from a train yesterday burnt through about 500ha at Wallendbeen near Cootamundra before being brought under control today.
- 120 firefighters were battling blazes near Batlow and Wondalga, 10km to the N, that had burnt through 600ha of grazing country by this afternoon.
- In the Lachlan Valley, strong wind gusts hit Bedgerebong, 20km W of Forbes, tearing an awning off a house. They also brought down powerlines, sparking a fire that burnt through 10ha before being contained.
- In the Hunter, fires in the Great Lakes area and around Cessnock were contained.
 VIC: More fires
A fire started by lightning this afternoon at Pheeny's Track, 100km SW of Mildura, burnt through 242ha of mallee.
NSW: Darling River flows at Wilcannia
The small settlement of Wilcannia, 190km ENE of Broken Hill, is celebrating the return of flow to the Darling River that runs through the town. It is the first flow for three years in the river which was bone dry a few weeks ago. The flood peak that moved through Bourke last Saturday is approaching, but river levels are expected to remain below minor flood level as the peak continues its way down the Darling. |
