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| Storms develop around the southern border of
NSW mid-morning, but rapidly become state-wide during the early afternoon
in this animation of hourly lightning and radar graphics. Weatherzone. |
 Widespread
storms cross NSW
The mass of unstable, very moist air that has been slowly crossing
the country since it was first drawn from the tropics into southern WA over
a week ago arrived in NSW today. It brought widespread thunderstorms,
some severe, along with hail, heavy rain, strong winds and property damage.
A broad trough over the state spawned several weak low pressure centres and
convergence lines, producing a line of storms along the southern
border during the morning, then more generally across the whole eastern half
of
the state during the afternoon and evening.
A storm that began near Mildura soon after dawn became severe as it crossed
the eastern Riverina, cutting a 200km swathe of damage through grazing and
crop country from Carrathool, through Griffith and Leeton to Temora. Orchards
and
vineyards
near
Leeton were stripped bare by hail stones as big as cricket
balls, with damage estimated at over $12m. Griffith Airport recorded a gust
of 93km/h soon after 11am. The NSW Minister for Agriculture, Ian
Macdonald, later announced that natural disaster assistance would be available
to farmers. "We believe there's about 5,000 hectares of winter crops,
4,000 hectares of summer crops, 450 hectares of orchards, 200 hectares of vegetables,
and
50 hectares of vines ... either destroyed or damaged due to this
hailstorm," he said.
As the storms developed over eastern NSW during the afternoon, they
brought widespread torrential rain, scattered hail and strong winds. Goulburn
experienced
considerable small-scale property damage, while a tree brought down on
high tension lines blacked out the west of the city for over an hour.
The airport
recorded 11.2mm in 7 minutes around 3.45pm. A house near Tallong, 30km
east of Goulburn, had its roof blown off, complete with trusses and
frame.
Unfortunately for the owner, it was blown onto his new 4WD vehicle parked
nearby. At Gloucester and Krambach, heavy rain caused flash flooding and
strong winds brought tree damage. At Lithgow, 1cm diameter hail was reported.
A long list of high rainfall rates across the state is
below, and includes 11.8mm in 15 minutes at Scone, 44.2mm in an hour
at Richmond, and 14.6 in 18 minutes at Nowra.
The storms degenerated into broad rain areas during the evening in the state's
northeast (see report for 22 November).
 Cold
day in NT, hot night in W QLD
Cloud cover accompanying the arrival of cooler southern air kept daytime
temperatures 8 to 11 below average in a belt from Alice Springs NT east to
around Birdsville
QLD
today. Birdsville's top of 27.1 was 8.3 below. Just 300km to the east, however,
Windorah sweated through another hot night, with a minimum of 30.3, 10.6 above
the norm. Much of western QLD and eastern NSW recorded minima 6 to 11 above
average ahead of the trough.
News sources: ABC, Goulburn Post |
