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Monday 18 September 2000

Bushfires threaten in Newcastle NSW
Unusually warm early spring weather has delighted Olympic crowds in Sydney, but gave Newcastle firefighters problems today. They fought two blazes southwest of the city, one near Lake Macquarie and a second at West Wallsend. A fickle seabreeze front produced gusty winds that drove the flames toward houses, but suddenly dropped to near calm allowing nearly 200 firefighters to gain control.

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

23.4 Lake Margaret Tas
22.8 Waldheim Cradle Valley Tas
22.8 Strathgordon Tas
22.2 Queenstown Tas

High falls for other periods:

Tasmania:
Mount Read: 25mm in 9h to 6am

Today's highest & lowest temps

Other extremes

Wind:
Keogh's Pimple Hartz Mtns Tas: Gust of 111km/h at 4.52am
Mt Wellington summit Tas: 10 minute average wind of 105.5km/h reported at 6.38 and 7.30am, with top gust of 133km/h at 4.30am

Records set this day

.
Maximum Minimum
39.0 Mardie WA 25.5 King Bay WA
1.3 Mt Hotham Vic -3.3 Charlotte Pass NSW

Greatest variations from normal

Maximum Minimum
+10.2
32.6 Taree 2RE NSW
+9.9
30.0 Nobbys Signal Station Newcastle NSW
+9.7
30.3 Narara Res Stn Gosford NSW		 +9.1
13.0 Bushy Park Tas
+8.9
12.0 Fingal Tas
+8.1
16.2 Peats Ridge NSW
-4.3
27.0 Milingimbi NT		 -8.2
13.0 Milingimbi NT