Australian Weather News

Go to the main news page Find a place on a map

Thursday 10 February 2000

Today's weather extremes

 Heavy rain in Central Australia
Temperature contrasts across southern Australia

Highest rainfall, 24 hours to 9am

120.0 Rockhampton Downs Qld
96.0 Yulara AP NT
93.0 Babinda PO Qld
88.6 Walungurru Kintore NT
 Close to record rainfall occurred today and into Friday in a strip across far southern NT and northern SA. The heaviest rain began in far southwestern NT yesterday evening, when Yulara Airport recorded 50mm between 6pm and midnight. A further 42mm was recorded there between 3am and 9am for a 24 hour to 9am total of 96mm. Other heavy 24 hour totals were 88.6 at Walungurru, about 350km NW of Yulara and 50mm at Ormiston Gorge, about 120km west of Alice Springs.

During the day, the heaviest falls moved to the area south of Alice Springs. Kulgera Roadhouse, on the Stuart Highway about 250km south of the Alice recorded 99mm between 6am and 9pm, while Marla, 170km farther south in South Australia, recorded 52mm between 9am and 3pm. See Friday's report for further details.

   Maximum temperatures varied from 17 above to 12 below average across the nation's south today (click map). Rain and cloud cover kept maximum temps over Central Australia and SE WA well below average, while southern SA and Vic sweltered in a strong northwesterly airstream. In an unusual reversal of normal daytime temperatures, Whyalla today recorded a top of 41°, while Marla reached only 25°. In WA, daytime temperatures in the southeast were nearly 20° lower than yesterday -- Leonora, north of Kalgoorlie, reached only 23 today compared with 42 yesterday.

 

Highest & Lowest Temps

Maximum Minimum
45.2 Nyang WA 32.0 Gascoyne Jn WA
18.5 Mt Read Tas 9.0 Armidale Uni NSW

Greatest variations from normal

Maximum Minimum
+17.0
40.7 Lakes Entrance Vic
+16.6
38.0 Cape Otway Vic
+16.3
41.0 Bairnsdale AP Vic		 +12.9
24.3 Strathbogie Vic
+11.6
26.1 Snowtown SA
+11.0
26.8 Adelaide AP SA
-12.4
23.0 Kulgera NT
-12.4
23.4 Marla SA		 -4.7
13.2 Lancelin WA
Other extreme readings
Rainfall:
Broome AP WA: 38mm in 1hr to noon
Broome SE Waterbank WA: 49mm in 1hr to noon
Yulara AP NT: 30mm in 3hrs to 9am
Kulgera NT: 32mm in 3hrs to noon
Marla SA: 30mm in 3hrs to noon
Cairns AP: 127mm in 12hrs to midnight tonight
Records set this day
.

  • 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

  • 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 and the many contributors to the Aussie Weather mailing list who routinely provide much appreciated information.