Rainfall for 24 hours to 9am Week to 9am      SE AUS detail

Minimum temperature departure from normal      Actual temperatures

Maximum temperature departure from normal      Actual temperatures

Weather events

Seasonal heavy monsoonal rain across the WA, NT and QLD tropics continues to give heavy falls: see wettest and downpours for details.

High winds and seas accompany wintry weather in SE AUS

A cold front attached to a 988hPa low about 500km south of Hobart swept across TAS, VIC and southern NSW this morning, heralding a burst of cold southern air. The tight gradient around the low generated gale to storm force winds and high seas across Bass Strait and nearby coastal waters, while the air was sufficiently cold for snow to develop on the TAS highlands and VIC and NSW Alps during the afternoon.

Gale force winds, with gusts to storm force, developed in Bass Strait around dawn building a 5 to 7m swell to welcome the front-runners in the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race. Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse reported average winds of 80km/h or more at every observation from 8am this morning to 3am Tuesday, with gale force winds continuing until early Wednesday morning. Peak gust at the Prom was 117km/h late afternoon and many other storm force gusts were reported in VIC, TAS and southern NSW (see highest gusts and gales and gusts). 54 of the initial 116 competitors had retired by the time Nicorette crossed the finish line on Wednesday morning, including its two main supermaxi rivals: Skandia and Konica Minolta. Skandia suffered $2m damage when a large wave tore off its hydraulic keel ram, resulting in the yacht's controversial canting keel gradually being torn off the hull about 60km offshore from Eddystone Point on NE TAS late this evening. The yacht overturned when the keel parted company around 2am Tuesday and the crew of 16 was rescued from liferafts by a police boat early Tuesday morning. Konica Minolta suffered a cabin top creased between the mast and keel when the yacht was hit by a massive wave. Several smaller yachts suffered minor to moderate damage and a few crewmen were injured, but the race was not as hazaardous as the 1998 Sydney-Hobart in which 6 sailors perished, 50 had to be rescued and only 44 of 115 starters finished the race.

The gale force southwesterly winds also hampered efforts to rescue a pod of 19 whales beached in heavy surf near Trial Harbour on the TAS West Coast west of Zeehan with most or all dying. On a brighter note, the cooler temperatures and strong SW winds have stalled the southward movement of a locust plague into VIC for the present.

Severe storm batters Inverell, NSW

Large hail and flash flooding occurred at Inverell during a prolonged and severe storm early this afternoon. The Inverell Bureau observer reported nearly continuous storms from 12.45pm to after 3pm, while the AWS recorded 38.6mm between 1.10pm and 4pm. The rain from the storms was heavier to the south, with Upper Horton (Dunbeacon) reporting 82.0 mm and Narrabri (Mt Kaputar National Park) 51.4 for the 24 hours to 9am on the 28th. The storms formed on the troughline between hot northerlies and a significantly cooler surge of southern air as it made its way slowly across northern NSW. An area of storms formed east of Bourke around 6pm yesterday and moved slowly east to lie from Tamworth to Moree at 6 this morning. These storms were decaying as they arrived at Inverell soon after midday, but a second area of severe cells developed in their wake, crossing the town mid afternoon.

Hail up to golfball size caused an estimated $750,000 damage to a car dealership in the town, with 18 new and 67 used cars damaged, substantial roof damage, and so much hail that a $60,000 hail-protection net over the cars collapsed under its weight. Inverell SES attended 22 jobs to tarp damaged roofs and windows and remove fallen trees. Local press reported 34mm falling in 45 minutes with golfball-sized hail just north of the town. Council workers reported many culverts washed out or clogged by debris due to fast-flowing water running off previously soaked land.

Elsewhere in the state, storms gave heavy rainfall (see downpours), while hail of 2 to 3cm diameter was reported near Bega around 2pm. At Harden, 60km NW of Yass, a localised wind squall "blew two poplar trees out of the ground" blew over a grain auger and lifter the roofs of two houses, according to the Harden Murrumburrah Express. At Willow Tree, 65km SSW of Tamworth, Rural Fire Service firefighters were left bemused when 7cm of water flooded their headquarters. 45mm of rain fell in a few minutes, according to their zone manager, Steve Raymond, causing flash flooding around their building and two nearby houses, one of which required sandbagging. The nearest official gauge, at Murrurundi Gap, recorded 20mm.

Wind starts bushfires in NSW, northern VIC

Strong winds bringing down powerlines are being blamed for starting some bushfires today, and certainly made controlling them difficult despite the lower temperatures. In VIC, around 200 Country Fire Authority firefighters contained a fire, thought to have been started by downed powerlines, that burnt through 400 hectares of farmland at Almonds, 20km south of Yarrawonga. Smaller blazes were also contained at Numurkah, 50km west of Yarrawonga, and Whitfield, 50km south of Wangaratta. In NSW, 8 fire units controlled a grass fire started by a tree branch falling onto a powerline just west of Orange, while a fire that burnt through bush at Nailcan Hill threatened houses on the outskirts of Albury.

Storms black out parts of SE QLD

The storms reported above moved into SE QLD late afternoon and evening, where lightning strikes caused power loss to around 5,000 properties in the Gold Coast hinterland, the Lockyer Valley, the Sunshine Coast and the Logan area south of Brisbane. Brief heavy rain was reported but no damage.

Heat, fires, storms in SW WA

A Persistent trough off the WA west coast continued to direct hot NE winds across the central and SW coastlines today. Mullewa, 90km ENE of Geraldton, scored the national top temperature with a maximum of 42.2, while many locations in the state's central and south west reported top temperatures between 8 and 12 above average.

Large fires, many begun by lightining, were burning in WA today. A large fire threatened property at Bullsbrook, 35km NNE of Perth. Eight aircraft, 40 firefighters and 16 ground appliences fought the blaze. Other major fires north of Perth burnt through 2000 hectares of the Moore River National Park near Lancelin and 1000ha of the Namming Nature Reserve near Jurien Bay. Another blaze north of Yanchep at Walbinga burnt through 200ha. Scattered thunderstorms were again reported across southern WA during the afternoon and evening, one giving a gust of 100km/h at Morawa Airport just after 3pm.