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 NT: Cyclone Ingrid
moves west to NT coast
TC Ingrid moved steadily WNW across the Gulf of Carpentaria at between 15
and 22km/h today, heading for a second landfall on Gove Peninsula on the
northeastern tip of the NT. Warm gulf waters fuelled redevelopment
of the cyclone,
which was progressively upgraded from category 1 to 4 during the day. At 10pm
EST Thursday the central pressure was estimated by the Bureau at 992hPa with
maximum winds of 100km/h; by 10pm CST this evening the system was 110km E of
Nhulunbuy, moving NW and still intensifying, with an estimated pressure of
955hPa and estimated top wind gusts of 230km/h.
In the firing line were the 4,000 residents of the mining town of Nhulunbuy
and numerous Aboriginal communities, some in low-lying land near the coast.
Adequate warning resulted in the day being spent in preparation for high winds,
heavy rain and possible storm surges resulting in saltwater inundation of low-lying
land near the coast. At Gove Airport, heavy rain commenced soon after 8pm with
60mm recorded in the 4 hours to midnight and wind gusting to 67km/h just before
midnight.
See also this Bureau
of Meteorology special report.
 QLD: Heavy rain
on North Tropical Coast
The combination of a deep moist easterly flow, sea surface temperatures
around 30C and strong middle atmosphere uplift brought heavy rain to the
the North Tropical Coast between Ingham and the Daintree from around midday.
Cairns Airport received 28mm between noon and 3pm then 156mm over the next
6 hours to 9pm. Heavy totals in the 12 hours noon to midnight included Saddle
Mountain 198 and Copperlode Dam 200 in the Barron Catchment and 210mm at
Bulgun Creek in the Tully Catchment. Most flood-warning raingauges in the
Barron, Johnstone and Tully Catchments recorded between 100 and 200mm over
the 12 hours with heavy rain continuing into Saturday.
NSW:
Torrential local rain on Mid North Coast
Heavy showers lurking off the coast of Newcastle today moved over the area
from Nelson Bay to Taree this afternoon and evening. Radar images suggest
that some were the result of local wind convergence lines, one of which drifted
over an area from Bulahdelah to Forster around 9pm and remained there, gradually
weakening, until 9am Saturday. The heaviest rain fell around midnight: Tiona
floodwarning gauge, 10km S of Forster, recorded 91mm 9pm to midnight then
a further 41mm to 6am for a 24-hour total of 140. 74mm fell in the two hours
10pm to
midnight.
Bungwahl, a further 10km SW, recorded 96 between 9pm and 6am Saturday for
a 24 hour total of 101.0. Other gauges in the area reported between 30 and
50mm, but there was little rain elsewhere.
WA:
Cyclone Willy parallels coast
TC Willy was upgraded to a category 3 cyclone early this morning and continued
to move SW at about 15 to 20km/h, parallel to and well north of the WA
coast. At midnight this evening it was located about 510km NNW of Exmouth
with a
central
pressure
of 960hPa. As the satellite images above show, Willy is a much larger system
than Ingrid.
WA,
NT, SA, WA: March heat records challenged
A broad ridge over eastern states in concert with an equally broad trough
over WA has set up a warm, dry northerly airstream over much of the continent
resulting in widespread temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s today.
Unusually warm March temperatures expanded to cover
much of the NT as TC Ingrid pulled warm dry air over the region. Mango
Farm
on the Daly River recorded its hottest March day in 24 years with a
top of 38.0, while Katherine equalled the record of 39.0 that it set
yesterday.
Darwin Airport's 35.0 was just 1.0 off the 64-year March record, while
Daly Waters and Tindal also came within a degree of their records.
Across the border in WA, Kalumburu Mission equalled their 62-year March
record
of 39.0.
Maximum temperatures were 8 to 16C above average across southern SA
and the far SE of WA following a very warm night in the southern
SA/WA border area. Eucla's top of 41.2 was 16.2 above average after
an overnight minimum of 26.5, 10.6 up. | 
