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Thursday 11 May 2000

Wintry outbreak in WA
Heavy showers on NSW north coast
A strong upper trough and its associated cold air moved over southwestern WA today, bringing wintry temperatures, hail and heavy showers. A surface low developed off the state's southwestern tip late yesterday, then skirted the South Coast, dragging an active cold front eastwards. A heavy hailstorm caused minor damage around Kelmscott, 25km SE of the Perth CBD, about 8am as the front passed, with a 10-minute average wind speed of 70km/h reported from nearby Jandakot AP. Hail up to 1.5cm covered lawns in the storm, which developed rapidly as it moved over the coast from the west, and died just as quickly as it passed over the Darling Range. Mean winds of 70km/h were again reported from Cape Leeuwin late this afternoon in a cold southerly stream behind the front. The wintry outbreak caused temperatures to plummet. Eucla, in the state's southeast, recorded a top temperature of 32, 11 above average, while Karnet, 50km south of Perth, recorded a top of only 11°, 7.5 below.

Isolated heavy showers gave Cape Byron NSW, the continent's most easterly point, 60mm in 3 hours to 5 this afternoon. Colder upper air atop a southeasterly airstream produced the odd heavy fall farther south yesterday.

Today's highest rainfall totals for the 24 hours to 9am

46.0 Kalamunda WA
34.4 Bedfordale Armadale WA
32.2 Mundaring WA
30.2 Binningup WA

Today's highest & lowest temps

Other extremes

Rainfall:
Kalamunda WA: 20mm in 6h to 6am
Gingin AP WA: 16mm in 2h to 2pm
Parafield AP SA: 19.6mm in 30m to 12.30pm
Cape Byron NSW: 60mm in 3h to 5pm

Flood peaks:
Bulloo at Quilpie Qld: 4.50m at 6am with moderate flooding

Records set this day

.
Maximum Minimum
36.0 Curtin AP Derby WA 26.4 Troughton Is WA
7.0 Mt Hotham Vic -6.2 Charlotte Pass NSW

Greatest variations from normal

Maximum Minimum
+11.1
32.0 Eucla AP WA		 +8.5
17.0 Ceduna AP SA
-7.5
11.2 Karnet Serpentine WA		 -4.6
-0.4 Grove Res Stn Tas

  • 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.