• Have you anything to add to these stories? Or even a new story? Contact me at wbc@ozemail.com.au
• Times stated are the clock time in force in the relevant state or territory
• Stories, including those in the archives, are as new and corrected information becomes available, with updates underlined

Acknowledgments: Australian Weather News gratefully acknowledges the Bureau of Meteorology as the collector and main source of meteorological data in Australia, along with the thousands of observers who record the weather and rainfall daily. I also thank Don White, Michael Bath, Jimmy Deguara, Jacob Aufdemkampe , and Michael Thompson who routinely provide me with much appreciated information.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

TC Thelma weakens, but brings torrential rain to the Kimberley 09 Aug 1999

Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Thelma skirted the far north Kimberley coast today, maintaining an estimated central pressure of 925hPa and core wind gusts to 320km/h. Around 2pm, the cyclone crossed the coast in or near Collier Bay and rapidly lost strength, filling to around 970hPa by midnight. Kuri Bay, to the northeast of Collier Bay, reported maximum wind gusts to 102km/h at 2pm. Heaviest recorded rainfall occurred about 300km to the northeast around Kalumburu, where 241mm was recorded in the automatic gauge and 223 in the manual gauge in the 24 hours to 9 this morning. 126mm was recorded by the automatic gauge between 9pm Thursday and 6 this morning. Theda Homestead, 60km SSW of Kalumburu, recorded the next highest 24 hour fall of 161mm. Kalumburu's previous highest 24 hour December rainfall total was 150mm in 51 years of record. Isolated heavy rain continued during the day, with Wyndham PO registering 66mm between 9am and 6pm in steady moderate rain, and Port Keats, just across the border in the Northern Territory, recording 73mm between 9am and 3pm.

Further details on TC Thelma from the Bureau of Meteorology.

Heatwave sets records in SA, Victoria and Tasmania

Temperatures from 12 to 20 degrees above normal covered most of Victoria and Tasmania, and the southern half of South Australia today, with December maximum temperature records falling in all three states. An absence of strong winds restricted bushfire development, though about 60 small fires burned across Victoria. The largest, consumed 450 hectares of grassland near Dergholm, about 70km NE of Mount Gambier, SA. Nearby Hamilton Airport recorded the only strong winds reported during the day with gusts to 85km/h around 4.45pm. The heatwave also crippled water supplies in the town of Churchill in the Latrobe Valley east of Melbourne. The searing heat followed a night during which minimum temperatures were widely 8 to 15 degrees above normal. Cape Borda, on the western end of Kangaroo Island, registered a minimum of 27C, 14.6 above average, while the temperature in Whyalla didn't drop below 31 degrees. Adelaide also sweltered with a minimum temperature in the city of 26, 10 above average.

Among the record December maximum temperatures set during the day were Neptune Island, SA , where a top temperature of 34.0 beat the previous record of 33.5 in 34 years of record; Bairnsdale, Vic, 39.0 (38.0 over 17 years); Wonthaggi, Vic, 39.7 (39.0 over 27 years); Ararat, Vic, 40.0 (39.6 over 29 years); Hobart Airport, Tas, 39.0 (38.0 over 40 years); Grove Research Station, south of Hobart, Tas, 37.2 (36.6 over 37 years); Bushy Park, Tas, 39.0 (37.5 over 36 years); and Flinders Island Airport, Tas, 36.0 (34.5 over 36 years). Most recordings are only to the nearest degree. In Melbourne, the top temperature was 42 degrees in the City, 18 above normal and the second warmest December day this century. Hobart Airport's maximum of 39 degrees was 18.6 above average, whilst Cape Northumberland, south of Mt Gambier in South Australia, scored a top of 40.1, 20.0 above average, and Warrnambool on Victoria's west coast reached 40.3, 19.7 above. The highest temperature recorded was a blistering 46.0 at the Nullarbor Roadhouse in western SA, following 44 yesterday and 41 the day before. Nearby Ceduna recorded 44 (42 and 39.8).

{top}

Heavy rains peter out in the WA Kimberley

Heavy rain was again recorded in the 24 hours to 9 this morning in the north and east Kimberley regions of Western Australia. Wyndham Post Office broke a 30 year daily rainfall record for any month, when it's 24 hour total of 154.0mm eclipsed the previous record of 140.7. The previous record December daily rainfall had been 86.6mm. Other heavy 24 hour totals were Theda Homestead 130.2, Drysdale River 118.0, Gibb River 110.0 and Mount Hart 106.0. Theda has recorded 291.2mm in the past two days. Tropical Cyclone Thelma was downgraded to a tropical low during the morning as its central pressure eased to around 998hPa.

Heat continues to set records in Victoria and Tasmania

Temperatures from 12 to 20 above average were again experienced over eastern and northern parts of SA, most of Victoria and the eastern half of Tasmania today as a much cooler change entered the region. Renmark Airport recorded the highest temperature in the settled areas with a top of 42.7, while Lakes Entrance, on the Victorian Gippsland coast posted the highest departure from normal -- 19.7 -- with a top of 41.4, breaking its previous December high in 28 years of record by 1.4 degrees. Other records to fall in Victoria were 40.6 at Orbost (previous 40.2 in 37 years), and 41.0 at Mangalore Airport (40.7 in 39 years). Bairnsdale, which broke its 17 year December record yesterday with 39.0, broke it again today with 41.0. In Tasmania, citizens on the normally never-hot northwest coast fried when Burnie recorded 31.2 (previously 29.0 in 31 years). Elsewhere in the state, Bicheno on the east coast comprehensively demolished its 23 year December record of 33.6 when the mercury soared to 36.9, Eddystone Point did the same to its record of 30.3 over 39 years with a new record of 35.0, and Flinders Island Airport broke its record of 36.0 in 36 years -- set yesterday -- when the thermometer reached 37.0.

The day followed another steamy night across western Victoria and much of inland South Australia. At Keith in southeastern SA, the minimum of 29.2 was 17.4 above normal and Naracoorte's 27.0 was 16.4 above. In Victoria, Horsham's minimum of 28.2 was also 16.4 above, while Weeaproinah in the Otways recorded 25.0, up 15.9 on normal.

Much cooler weather followed the change, which blew past the summit of Mt Wellington behind Hobart around 10.25am with a wind gust of 133km/h. Later in the day, a thunderstorm associated with the change, which is lying well back across the continent, gave Woomera, SA, a gust of 104km/h.

Some heavy rain in Queensland

Two very different rainfall events in Queensland. In an afternoon downpour, Richmond received 26.6mm in 10 minutes to 4.53pm. Meanwhile, on Hamilton Island off the Central Coast, the tourists are learning about the wet season. 171mm fell in the 24 hours to 9am yesterday, and a further 113 to 9 this morning as a moist southeasterly stream and unstable air aloft dumped successive showers on the resort.

{top}

Heavy rain continues in WA as ex-TC Thelma stays inland

Rainfalls of 100 to 175mm were experienced in the northwest Kimberley late yesterday and into today as former Tropical Cyclone Thelma continued its inland track, skirting to the south of Broome. The heaviest rain was east of Broome, falling largely from heavy thunderstorms. Cygnet Bay, on the coast 160km NNE of Broome, registered 61mm between midnight and 6am for a 24 hour total to 9am today of 107mm. Heavier rain fell further east, with Mount Hart Station, 130km ENE of Derby, recording 179mm in the 24 hours to 9am (on top of 106mm to 9am yesterday), and Ellendale Homestead, 130km ESE of Derby, recording 174.2mm.

Heavy storm rains in southern NSW

Thunderstorms which developed in the southeastern Riverina during this evening moved east overnight bringing rainfalls of 25 to 70mm. Wagga received 27mm in the storm, 20mm between 8 and 9pm, whilst Khancoban, 130km to the SE, recorded 27mm between 8 and 9pm. The area of storms moved across the South Coast later in the night, giving Moruya Heads 67mm between 9pm and 3am Monday.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

Major hailstorm damages Brisbane

Further details from the Brisbane and SE Qld Storm Site.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}

.

.

{top}