|
 Heavy
rain, strong winds as front crosses SW WA
A cold front crossed southwestern WA this evening accompanied by storm
force wind gusts and preceded by widespread moderate rain. Much
of the Southwest recorded between 20 and 50mm in the 24 hours to 9am Friday,
but the heaviest falls were in an area southeast of Pinjarra. A gauge at
the
Mt William firetower recorded 74mm while Dwellingup reported 57mm of which
34 fell between 6 and 9pm. Strong winds gusting to storm force accompanied
the change. The highest gust of 115km/h was reported at 10.30pm from the
AWS on North Island in the Abrolhos Group, 110km NW of Geraldton. Two hours
earlier, wind gusted to 102km/h at the Perth coastal suburb of Swanbourne
and 104km/h on Rottnest Island, offshore from the city. After a dry start
to the year, parts of the Southwest are beginning to amass respectable winter
rainfall totals thanks to a long wave trough that has lingered over the area
bringing repeated fronts and rainbands. Bickley, in the ranges 27km ESE of
Perth, has recorded 129.4mm in the first 11 days
of
the
month,
while
Dwellingup
has
amassed 167.2
and
Mt William 206mm. Farther south, Northcliffe has totalled 139.8 while to
the north, Lancelin has notched up 102.2.
Unexpected
storm deluges eastern Sydney
Unexpected storms brought torrential rain and some hail to eastern
suburbs of Sydney late this evening. The SES was called out to about
30 jobs, mostly resulting from flash flooding and blocked drains. Marble-sized
hail was reported from Kensington and neighbouring southeastern suburbs.
The storms formed on a seemingly innocuous cold front moving up the coast.
Heavy
showers
started
around Wollongong
soon after 6pm and gave Scarborouth 55mm in the two hours between 7 and
9pm though most falls in the northern Illawarra were around 20mm. Active
electrical storms developed to the south of Sydney around 8pm and
moved slowly
NNE along the coast to be offshore Gosford by 11pm. Sydney Airport received
26.8mm in 30 minutes to 9.10pm for a storm total of 38.6 while Sydney's Observatory
Hill recorded 24.6mm in half an hour to 9.30pm for a storm total
of 36.0mm. The highest suburban 24 hour totals to 9am Friday were 52.0 at
Rose Bay and 51.2 at Randwick. While rain was generally light across central,
western and northern suburbs, Fairfield City Farm managed to score 22mm between
7 and 8pm from an errant shower.
Heavy
rain in NE TAS
The system that brought wild weather to SA and VIC yesterday produced
heavy overnight rain in NE TAS. A small low developed on the cold
front as it exited Bass Strait, enhancing rainfall about the Northeast. Mt
Barrow was top of the 24 hour to 9am totals with 44.6mm. Lake Leake reported
41.6 and Friendly Beaches 41.0, 29 of which fell between midnight and 3am.
Powranna, 30km SSE of Launceston, recorded 22.4mm, its highest one day total
for June in its short 10-year record. |
