|
 WA: Torrential
falls on South Coast
Torrential rain fell NE of Albany today, while more general light to moderate
rain again fell across much of WA. The surface chart for 10am above shows an
unusual trio of lows and connecting troughs embracing the state.
Convergence
into the trough along the South Coast, enhanced by an onshore flow to the
west of the easternmost low, produced spectacular local rainfall in an area
northeast
of Albany. Albany radar showed an intense area of rain about 30 to 40km in
diameter drifting eastwards across the area between 11pm Saturday and 3am Sunday.
The daugher of the official Bureau rainfall reader at Warriup, 63km ENE of
the
city, told
ABC
Radio that
"they
received
more than
200mm of
rain
in about 14 hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings." The Bureau synoptic station
at Mettler, 15km to the NE, recorded 75.0mm for the 24 hours to 9am, beating
its previous June record in 37 years of observations by a substantial 28mm.
Other heavy falls in the area were 56.0mm at Cheyne
Beach, 49km ENE of Albany, and 48.0mm at Windrush, 35km NE of the city.
Warriup
is a postal return rainfall station, so the actual figure will not
be known until late July. The observer's daughter, who had been visiting,
told the ABC "There's a big lake in front of my parents' house
and that was probably 6 or 12 foot over its normal level, it's broken out
to sea. My husband and I are stuck here, we can't get home because
the driveway is completely washed out. It's just amazing to see."
Heavy falls were also recorded in the Pilbara. In the 24 hours to 9am, Urala,
30km WSW of Onslow, recorded 54.0mm while during the day Barrow Island Airport
recorded 25.4mm in the hour to 2.30, 8.2 of which fell in 4 minutes.
Recent rain led to widespread fogs in the Central Wheatbelt this morning,
many of which did not clear until late morning.
 AUS: Temperatures
heat up across the continent
The persistent high over SE AUS continues to drag warm air of tropical origin
across most of the continent so that maximum temperatures today were 4 to
11C above average across most of the country. Only TAS and a small part of
the Far North QLD coast were slightly below average. Warooka SA set a new 40-year
June record with a maximum temperature of 21.5C, while Carnegie WA, Scone,
Orange and Tumbarumba NSW and Maryborough VIC all came within a degree of their
June records. | 
