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 NT,
SA, NSW: Heavy rain across Central Australia
The most bountiful northwest cloudband in over a year has given falls of between
25 and 80mm across the parched centre of the country. In the 24 hours to 9am,
Yuendumu, 260km NW of Alice Springs, recorded 80.6mm, its wettest July day
in over half a century. Heavy totals in the Alice Springs region included 54.2
at Alice Springs Airport, 43.4 at Undoolya 20km E of the Alice, and 43.4 at
Wulungurru 450km W of the
Alice. Rain fell steadily over about a 24 hour period at most locations.
In SA, the heaviest recordings were around 250km S of Birdsville in
the driest part of Australia. Kalamurina recorded 49.8 and Mungeranie 49.0mm.
Long-term average annual rainfall in the area is
125mm. Other substantial totals were 31.8 at Tieyon 250km NW of Oodnadatta,
28.4 at Arkaroola 140km ESE of Marree and 27.0 at Oodnadatta.
Rain spread over the border into NSW before the 9am cut-off, with good falls
around Broken Hill -- 39.0 at Fowlers Gap Research Station and 21.0 at Broken
Hill Airport. The rainband then tapered off as it moved ESE.
During the morning, however, a low developed in northwestern NSW ahead of
a deep upper trough bearing very cold air towards the SA coast. The low then
tracked
SE
under the cloudband, enhancing rainfall as it moved upslope
onto the Southern Tablelands later in the day. Goulburn Airport recorded 33mm
and Canberra Airport 25mm between 9am and 9pm, with rain continuing.
 AUS: Cold in the SW, warm in the NE
The temperature anomaly maps at right show the effects of a very cold airmass
pushing into central and eastern states between the morning minima and the
daytime maxima. Southern WA again experienced a very cold morning, with minima
up to 8 below average in the Central Wheatbelt and Lower West. The extreme
minimum was -4.0 at Yeelirrie, 175km ESE of Meekatharra, but most of the coldest
recordings were in the South West where Bridgetown and Jarrahwood's -3.0 and
Collie East and Wandering's -2.7 were among the coldest in the country. Jarrahwood's
minimum equalled its lowest July recording in 28 years, and Lancellin, Cape
Leeuwin, Windy Harbour and Kellerberrin all came within a degree of their July
records.
Ahead of the colder air, minima were widely 6 to 11 above average,
with Victoria River Downs in the NT recording the greatest departure of 11.3
above with a minimum of 22.4. See Hottest and Coldest below
for more details.
Newsbits
TAS, VIC, NSW: Snow begins as cold airmass arrives
Cold air drawn from the southeast into the developing low over NSW brought
widespread but initially light snowfalls across the NSW and VIC alps and TAS
high country. Observations of snow are in the Noteworthy
weather observations and
all Alpine synoptic observations can be found in the Alpine
station observations. | 
