Damaging
storm hits PerthTemperature
contrasts across WAFires continue
to burn in NE NSWA severe thunderstorm swept across Perth WA last night around 10.30pm, causing widespread damage to buildings across the metropolitan area. 25 homes in one street in Mt Pleasant were damaged, possibly by a small tornado, and trees were uprooted in Melville and Booragoon. Wind gusts of 95km/h were recorded at Rottnest Island and Bickley between 10 and 11pm, with Rottnest Island recording 96km/h at 2.20 this morning in the strong southwesterly stream that followed the storm and frontal passage. The fast-moving front also gave Hopetoun North, 160km west of Esperance, a gust of 96km/h at midday and Coober Pedy in central northern SA a gust of 104km/h at 6.45pm. Bickley recorded 37mm over 9 hours to 6am in the storm and following showers, and the coastal strip from Perth around to Albany recorded around 10 to 25mm in the 24 hours to 9am.
There were strong temperature contrasts across the front as it pushed across the continent's southwest. Eucla's top temperature today of 37.3° was 13.5 above the November average, whilst Norseman, 650km to the west, only reached a top of 16.4, 11.6 below the norm.
Over 1,000 firefighters continued to work on 57 fires across NSW today. Over 250,000 hectares have been burnt out by fires since mid-September, with the worst fires currently on the NSW Northern Tablelands. Of most concern are fires at Rockwood east of Inverell, which has burnt through 21,653ha, Blatherarm west of Deepwater (13,827ha), Bald Rock NE of Tenterfield (22,989ha), and Mt Spirabo NE of Glen Innes (70,583ha). A new fire started yesterday at Noble Creek west of Tenterfield. Many of these fires are burning in inaccessible country, and a national effort is being mounted involving firefighters from Victoria, SA and Tasmania as well as local brigades. In the Hunter, a fire that started at Milbrodale near Singleton yesterday afternoon had been contained late last night, but not before destroying a derelict house, three sheds and some farm machinery, damaging another house and some vineyards, and injuring 3 firefighters. Other major fires were burning at Ebsworth near Dungog (700ha) and Chapman south of Singleton (4,300ha).
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DROUGHTWATCH The 6-month period May to October has been the driest on record in Sydney with only 193 mm recorded compared to the average of 582 mm. Bureau figures showed that the previous driest was 200 mm in 1895. And the dry conditions continued during October with a total of only 5.8mm -- the fourth driest October on record. The driest October was in 1988 with 0.6 mm. The average for the month is 77 mm on 11 rain days. Greater Sydney totals ranged from 38 mm at Frenchs Forest to only 0.4 mm at Badgerys Creek. Canberra's May to October mean maximum temperature was the highest on record. The mean for the six months was 16.0°, the highest for the period since records began in 1939. The town of Blackbutt, 110km NW of Brisbane, has only four weeks water supply left. Boobir Creek Dam is nearly dry, and Nanango Shire Council has called for urgent tenders to complete a pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam to the town by early December, or the town will run out of dringing water. |