Radar image sequence of severe thunderstorms that affected Melbourne overnight 2-3 December 2003

The images are spaced at 10-minute intervals and cover the period from 11:00 pm Tuesday 2 December to 5:50 am Wednesday 3 December 2003. The most intense rainfall is depicted by the colours orange and red, where rainfall rates in excess of 50 millimetres per hour occurred. (The times shown in the caption are Universal Time which is equivalent to Eastern Daylight Savings Time minus 11 hours).

The initial cell formed near Wallan to the north of the Melbourne CBD. As the cell tracked slowly south, further cells developed and the entire complex moved east and south across the northern, eastern and south-eastern suburbs. The sequence shows that some suburbs experienced more than one intense cell. The cells were slow-moving which, together with their very intense rainfall rates, caused exceptionally high rainfall totals at some locations.

• Satellite images of the severe thunderstorms on 2-3 December 2003