|
 TC Fay dissipates
over WA
Tropical Cyclone Fay dropped below cyclone strength this
evening in desert country to the southeast of Port Hedland. During
the day, winds have dropped and rainfall diminished as the ex-cyclone moved
into the Great Sandy Desert. In the 24 hours to 9am, however, heavy falls
were recorded in the Pilbara, especially in the De Grey River catchment southeast
of Port Hedland. Top falls were 134mm at Warrawagine, 230km ESE of Port Hedland,
and 111mm at Mandora, on the coast 250km ENE of Port Hedland. Wallal Downs,
about 30km from Mandora, recorded 197.6mm in the 48 hours to 9am. The Bureau's
Bruce Buckley told the West Australian "for
large parts of WA's pastoral country, the falls represent the best rains
in four years, if not a decade, in central and western parts of the Pilbara
and Gascoyne."
The BHP Billiton iron ore mine at Yarrie, 150km ESE of
Port Hedland, seems to have been worst hit, with accommodation units overturned,
water tanks "shredded", power cut and 200
workers sheltering for 8 hours in two squash courts as the cyclone passed.
At Nullagine,
150m
farther
south, flooding in the Nullagine River has split the town in four, causing
the evacuation of the town's 140 population to the police station, court
house and buildings on the outskirts of the town. Heavy rain in the Oakover
and Nullagine
River catchments is forecast to produce moderate
flooding
in
the De Grey. The wind uprooted trees and dislocated phone
and power services throughout the area.
 Cold
morning in SW WA
Albany Airport recorded its coldest March temperature in 39 years
of record this morning. The thermometer dropped to 4.3, 9.1 below
normal. High pressure over the state's southwest following the arrival of
cool dry southern air yesterday allowed overnight temperatures to plummet,
with Perth and Jandakot Airports, Northam and Hyden all reporting minimum
temperatures 8 to 10 below average.
Moderate
rain breaks long dry spell in SE SA
The first significant rain since the end of December fell in southern
SA late today. Apart from some light falls on 8 March, the area
has been virtually rainless for three months. Rain fell heavily for a
few
hours from a band that crossed the Adelaide area late afternoon and early
evening, giving the city 11.2mm in half an hour and Parawa, 30km W of Victor
Harbor, 20mm in the 3 hours to 6pm. The Mt Lofty Ranges and parts of the
Southeast recorded from 20 to a top of 30mm at Uraidla. Falls were generally
above 10mm from the Yorke Peninsula south with 5 to 15mm across the Lower
North and the Eyre Peninsula. |
