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Wednesday, 02 JAN 2002

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NSW bushfires continue
Temperature contrasts continue across the southeast
Central Australian bushfires started by lightning
See special report on the NSW bushfires.

Snow was falling on the NSW and Victorian Alps while bushfires raged and top temperature records were falling on the NSW coast today. There was sufficient snow to cover the ground atop Mt Hotham and at Falls Creek Vic. Sago snow was reported in Thredbo Village NSW and light snow flurries at higher levels, while there was a dusting of snow on the ground down to the 1900m level on Thursday morning.  In Victoria, hail showers fell from wintry shower clouds, two funnel clouds were reported over Port Phillip Bay, and winds gusted to 102km/h at Wilsons Promontory. In southeast SA, the unusually cool weather of the past few weeks is causing delays in the grain harvest. AusBulk area manager Michael Hill says the cool conditions have limited reaping to 2 or 3 hours a day at times compared with the normal 10 to 12. From the NSW Hunter coast north to the Queensland border, top temperatures were close to 40° and around 8 to 13 above normal. Both Alstonville, 15km E of Lismore, and Smoky Cape Lighthouse, 30km NE of Kempsey, broke their January record highs (see below). 

Many bushfires have been started by lightning strikes in Central Australia in the past day or two. The ABC reported that the area west of Alice Springs is the worst affected.

National weather extremes for today
Data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology
Last updated at 20:29 EDST on 03/01/02

Quality control note: Data is final. It includes late-received rainfall data and has been subject to BoM and AWN quality control checks. See Explanation of Extremes Pages for more information
Records set this day (previous record and years of computerised record shown in brackets):
Highest daily maximum temperature for January:
Alstonville Res Stn NSW: 38.4 (37.2, 26)
Smoky Cape LH NSW: 39.5 (38.9, 45)

Todays highest rainfall totals for the 24 hours to 9am. It includes the top 5 totals received, and/or all reported falls of 50mm or more.

172.0 MYUNA ALERT Central Coast E QLD
149.6 MACKAY MO Central Coast E QLD
141.0 BULLIWALLAH Central West QLD
115.0 WILSON BEACH Central Coast E QLD
93.6 GREENMANTLE STATION Central Coast W QLD

NORTHERN TERRITORY
     Arnhem
81.0 MILINGIMBI
55.0 RAMINGINING
    Darwin-Daly
68.7 KAKADU NORTHERN ENTRY STATION

QUEENSLAND
     Central Coast E
172.0 MYUNA ALERT
149.6 MACKAY MO
115.0 WILSON BEACH
79.0 MACKAY ALERT
67.0 GLENPRAIRIE 2
66.0 MOUNT JUKES
58.0 MACKAY AERO
52.4 HAMILTON ISLAND AIRPORT
    Central Coast W
93.6 GREENMANTLE STATION
59.0 BRUSLEE
54.0 TAEMAS
    Central Highlands
55.0 WINVIC
    Central West
141.0 BULLIWALLAH
    Wide Bay/Burnett
74.8 STANWELL POWER STATION

High rainfall for periods of 6 hours or less.


WESTERN AUSTRALIA
     Goldfields
LEINSTER AERO
16.6mm in 1 hr to 18:00 16.6mm/h
18.0mm in 3 hr to 18:00 6.0mm/h

NORTHERN TERRITORY
     Arnhem
MILINGIMBI
79.0mm in 6 hr to 02:30 13.2mm/h
    Roper-McArthur
CENTRE ISLAND
9.2mm in 20 min to 12:30 27.6mm/h
18.2mm in 1 hr to 12:30 18.2mm/h
23.8mm in 1 hr to 13:00 23.8mm/h
24.0mm in 3 hr to 14:30 8.0mm/h

QUEENSLAND
     N Peninsula
WEIPA AERO
6.6mm in 35 min to 07:30 11.3mm/h
    Gulf Country
MORNINGTON ISLAND
5.6mm in 12 min to 14:12 28.0mm/h
11.2mm in 1 hr to 14:30 11.2mm/h
16.0mm in 3 hr to 15:00 5.3mm/h
5.8mm in 13 min to 20:43 26.8mm/h
18.6mm in 17 min to 21:00 65.6mm/h
25.0mm in 1 hr to 21:00 25.0mm/h
27.0mm in 3 hr to 21:00 9.0mm/h
11.4mm in 30 min to 21:30 22.8mm/h
35.8mm in 1 hr to 21:30 35.8mm/h
12.0mm in 1 hr to 22:00 12.0mm/h
NORMANTON AIRPORT
13.4mm in 1 hr to 22:00 13.4mm/h
    N Coast--Barron
CAIRNS AERO
6.2mm in 37 min to 07:07 10.1mm/h
4.6mm in 6 min to 07:21 46.0mm/h
COOKTOWN MISSION STRIP
17.0mm in 3 hr to 12:00 5.7mm/h
COOKTOWN AIRPORT
12.8mm in 40 min to 12:00 19.2mm/h
18.0mm in 1 hr to 12:00 18.0mm/h
18.0mm in 3 hr to 12:00 6.0mm/h
    N Coast--Herbert
SOUTH JOHNSTONE EXP STN
12.2mm in 56 min to 10:56 13.1mm/h
23.0mm in 3 hr to 12:00 7.7mm/h

ISLANDS
     Islands
CAPE WESSEL
15.0mm in 3 hr to 10:30 5.0mm/h
24.0mm in 3 hr to 11:30 8.0mm/h
22.0mm in 3 hr to 12:30 7.3mm/h

Todays highest & lowest temperatures

Maximum Minimum
43.0 EVANS HEAD RAAF BOMBING RANGE North Coast NSW
41.9 URANDANGIE Northwest QLD
41.5 PARABURDOO AERO E Gascoyne WA
41.3 BOULIA AIRPORT Channel Country QLD
41.0 BALGO HILLS Interior WA
41.0 PHOSPHATE HILL AIRPORT Northwest QLD
41.0 CANNINGTON MINE Northwest QLD
41.0 CAMOOWEAL TOWNSHIP Northwest QLD
 29.0 NORTHERN ENDEAVOUR Islands
28.5 BALGO HILLS Interior WA
28.0 ALVA BEACH Central Coast E QLD
27.5 ELLIOTT Barkly NT
27.5 WILLIS ISLAND Islands
27.5 KURI BAY N Kimberley WA
3.0 THREDBO (CRACKENBACK STATION) AWS Snowy Mtns NSW
3.9 MT HOTHAM Upper NE VIC
4.3 MOUNT READ W Coast TAS
5.0 MOUNT BULLER Upper NE VIC
 -0.2 MT HOTHAM Upper NE VIC
0.0 THREDBO (CRACKENBACK STATION) AWS Snowy Mtns NSW
0.0 MOUNT BULLER Upper NE VIC
0.4 FALLS CREEK Upper NE VIC
1.0 MOUNT READ W Coast TAS

Todays greatest temperature variations from normal

Maximum Minimum
+13.4   40.2 COFFS HARBOUR MO MidNorth Coast N NSW
+12.8   39.5 SOUTH WEST ROCKS (SMOKY CAPE LIGHTHOUSE) MidNorth Coast N NSW
+12.7   39.3 YAMBA PILOT STATION North Coast NSW
+12.6   38.3 PORT MACQUARIE (HILL STREET) MidNorth Coast S NSW
+11.3   38.4 ALSTONVILLE TROPICAL FRUIT RESEARCH STAT North Coast NSW
 +7.8   26.5 CASINO AIRPORT North Coast NSW
+6.5   23.4 TABULAM (MUIRNE) N Tablelands E NSW
+5.9   26.5 MARYBOROUGH Brisbane/SE Coast QLD
+5.7   25.6 GAYNDAH POST OFFICE Wide Bay/Burnett QLD
+5.5   25.0 GYMPIE Brisbane/SE Coast QLD
+5.5   23.2 OAKEY AERO Darling Downs E QLD
-12.7   3.0 THREDBO (CRACKENBACK STATION) AWS Snowy Mtns NSW
-12.5   18.1 YONGALA Upper North SA
-11.5   16.5 CASTLEMAINE PRISON N Central VIC
-11.4   16.9 LAKE EILDON GOULBURN MURRAY WATER (LAKE N Central VIC
-11.4   17.3 MARYBOROUGH (DERBY STREET) N Central VIC
 -7.5   0.0 MOUNT BULLER Upper NE VIC
-7.0   13.4 LEIGH CREEK AIRPORT NE Pastoral SA
-6.9   6.0 LONGERENONG Wimmera S VIC
-6.6   11.0 PINDARI DAM NW Slopes N NSW
-6.4   8.8 WAROOKA Yorke Peninsula SA
-6.4   8.6 COONABARABRAN (NAMOI STREET) CW Slopes N NSW

Highest wind gusts above 89km/h or mean wind above 62km/h (gale force). Wind direction and mean windspeed shown in brackets.

MONTAGUE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE South Coast NSW: 83 (210/ 69 ) at 15:47
GREEN CAPE AWS South Coast NSW: 85 (250/ 67 ) at 20:00
WILSONS PROMONTORY LIGHTHOUSE W Gippsland VIC: 102 (270/ 76 ) at 10:59
FAWKNER BEACON E Central VIC: 78 (280/ 63 ) at 16:00
CAPE GRIM B.A.P.S. N Coast TAS: 83 (250/ 72 ) at 20:00

Other extremes

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