Heavy
rain, gales in far SE NSW and Victoria
Widespread
rain in SW WAContinuing
cold in NSW, QldThe tight pressure gradient to the west of the low brought strong to gale force winds to the Victorian coast and high country. Gusts reached 106km/h at Falls Creek and 102km/h on the summit of Mt Hotham, while in the Otways west of Melbourne Cape Otway recorded 76 and Mt Gellibrand 83km/h.
Meanwhile, several days of moderate and widespread rain has given some hope to farmers in drought-ravaged southwest WA. Most of the southwest, from about 200km north of Perth to about 200km east of Esperance, has had record low rainfall over the past 9 months, with parts of the southern wheat belt recording less than 200mm in the past 12 months. Rain has fallen generally over the southwestern third of the state in the 3 days to 9am Monday, with 25 to 60mm around the west and south coasts, and 10 to 25mm inland. The heaviest falls were today, as a wave developed on an active cold front just west of Perth mid morning, then unusually tracked due east across land to regain the Southern Ocean near Esperance around midnight tonight. 34.4mm fell in one hour to 7.30am at Jandakot Airport, 20km south of the Perth CBD, while Rottnest Island, offshore from Perth, recorded 28mm in the hour to 5.30am. North Island in the Abrolhos Group, 120km NW of Geraldton, recorded a wind gust of 89km/h at 7.40am as the front passed through.
Cold days continued in central and northeastern NSW as a stagnant cold pool dominated the area's weather. Light snow was reported during the day at Oberon on the Central Tablelands and Guyra on the Northern Tablelands. Southeast Queensland and much of the state's north again experienced a very cold night, with minima 4 to 10 below normal. Amberley Airport in Brisbane's west recorded -2.0, 7.5 below the average, while Georgetown, 250km WSW of Cairns, was 10° below with a minimum of 2.