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When reading these descriptions of today's weather events, please refer to the charts and tables for support and details. The descriptions serve to point out significant events and add information that is not available elsewhere on the page.
 TAS: Heavy rain in the northwest
Unstable weather near a trough extending into Bass Strait from the low off the NSW South Coast brought heavy rain to NW TAS this morning. A rainband only 40 or 50km wide began feeding onto the coast between Burnie and Smithton around 10 last night, and intensified and broadened somewhat, but moved only very slowly westwards over the next 9 hours. About 7 this morning, it accelerated away to the west, clearing Cape Grim about 11am. While the band was narrow, it was long, extending for most of its life from central Gippsland across Bass Strait to NW TAS. It formed along a convergence line between northeasterly and easterly winds near the trough coinciding with a band of mid-level moisture and cooler air aloft. Heaviest falls were around and south of Stanley and Smithton. Stanley recorded 63.8mm in the 24 hours to 9am, Irishtown (20km SW) 55.2 and Smithton Airport 50.4. 39mm fell at Smithton between midnight and 9am while Luncheon Hill (35km S of Smithton) registered 35mm between 3am and 9am. The 49.0mm recorded at Luncheon Hill to 9am was its heaviest one day total in May in 11 years.
NSW: Steady rain on South Coast
The low off the NSW South Coast directed moist southeastlies onto the coast between Wollongong and Bega today, with a persistent area of heavy rain around Jervis Bay and Ulladulla. Ulladulla recorded 102mm falling very consistently between 6 this morning and 3am Friday when the rain eased. Jervis Bay (Point Perpendicular) recorded 75mm, also consistently, from 6am to 9pm when the rain eased.
Storms bring torrential rain to Norfolk Island
The trough extending NE from the NSW low (see surface charts below) crossed the Norfolk Island area NW of North Island New Zealand and south of New Caledonia this afternoon, and a small low formed on the trough by late afternoon. Dense cloud can be seen accompanying the forming low. Heavy rain and a thunderstorm dumped 124mm at the airport over a six hour period from shortly before 1pm, with 81mm falling between 12.50 and 3pm.
QLD: Bushfires bring early fire season
Thirty-five bushfires have been fought by the QLD Fire and Rescue Service over the past three days, mostly in the southeast of the state and many of those in the Toowoomba Range. The fire season is normally reckoned to begin late winter, but dry conditions and the additional drying effects of heavy frosts have made the bush more flammable than usual.
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