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Above: Maximum temperatures (left)
and departures from normal (right)
Below: Minimum temperatures (left) and departures from normal (right). BoM  |
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Heat continues as rain, storms, gales,
duststorms and fog arrive in the south
Heat continued to dominate the continent today, as the
first significant cold front in weeks swept across SA, VIC and TAS.
Daytime temperatures again rose over 40° for most of
the country away from the seabord, Birdsville topscoring with 47.8.
Oodnadatta rated the nation's most uncomfortable night with a minimum
this morning of 34.2. After a top of 47.1, the temperature at Oodnadatta
was still 42.2 at 10.30pm, not dropping below 40 until just before
midnight this evening.
Moisture that is being transported south across WA then east across Central
Australia from the active monsoonal trough over the WA Kimberley interacted
with a signicant
cold
front
moving through southern SA, VIC and TAS today, producing a mixed bag of weather.
In SA, there were strong winds around Adelaide with the passage of the front
soon before 6am, with gusts to 111km/h atop Mt Lofty, 95 at Noarlunga and 93
at Kuitpo. Thick fog descended on the Adelaide Hills as the temperature dropped
after the front, and rain fell from a broad but light rainband.
Thunderstorms developed on the front as it reached SE SA, and intensified
as they moved rapidly east across VIC during the morning, dying
out through Central VIC around midday. Winds with the storms brought
down trees and powerlines in Bendigo, blacking out 545 homes and
city traffic lights. Lightning damage blacked out 9,000 homes around
Charlton for 6 hours and 1,000 around Castlemaine for 3 hours. A
dozen grassfires were started by lightning around Ararat and Ballarat,
giving the CFA a brief busy time before rain from the thunderstorms
dowsed the fires. Rain from the storms and a following rainband
gave widespread falls of 10 to 25mm through western and central
VIC, and lesser amounts during the evening as the rainband died
out in eastern VIC. Severe winds also caused damage to trees and
buildings at Bemm River in the early afternoon.
In Melbourne, the front dropped the temperature from a steamy 30
at 8.35am to 24° 15 minutes later. The front produced a wind
gust of 106km/h at Eildon Fire Tower on the western side of Lake
Eildon at 10.39am, and a gust of 119km/h and a 10-minute average
wind of 100km/h on Hogan Island, 50km ESE of Wilsons Promontory,
at 12.30pm.
A trough extending north from the cold front did not bring rain,
storms or cooler temperatures, but did produce dust storms during
the afternoon and evening in NSW. Bureau observers reported dust
storms at Hay between 12.20 and 1pm and at Wilcannia from 6.30pm
(with a temperature of 45.4!), while visibility at Tibooburra at
the 9pm observation was 900m (with a temperature of 41.9).
Violent storm hits Tennant Creek NT
A late afternoon thunderstorm gave Tennant Creek Airport a wind
gust of 98km/h and dumped 39mm of rain in 52 minutes. Trees were
felled and power supplies interrupted in the town.
Storms produce wind damage in WA Murchison
Thunderstorms this afternoon and evening produced some
strong winds in central northern areas of the state. Meekatharra
Airport recorded a 10 minute average windspeed of 63km/h around
9.30pm, while wind damage was reported at Bunnawarra and Thundelarra
stations, 140km WSW and 120km SW of Mt Magnet in the Murchison.
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