|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER - JANUARY 2005
Severe storms with hail and strong winds swept across southern New South Wales during the end of the month. Hundreds of houses were damaged with power outages to over 30,000 homes due to lightning strikes. The worst hit area was the Riverina where over 100 houses were damaged. Tropical cyclone Raymond formed off the northwest Australian coast and brought the first heavy rains of the season to the Kimberley. Tropical cyclones Sally and Tim had little effect on the Australian coast. Thunderstorms and winds were reported in most states. Severe storms with hail and strong winds swept across southern New South Wales towards the end of the month causing much damage. Nyang Station recorded a mean monthly maximum temperature of 44.8°C, equalling the Australian record for the hottest ever month, which was previously set at Nyang Station in February 1998. Nyang's mean monthly maximum temperature was also the highest January mean recorded in Australia, the previous highest being 44.6°C at Pannawonica in January 1991. Several centres in the Pilbara and Gascoyne broke their record mean monthly maximum temperatures for January, as well as for any month. Queensland Tropical cyclone Kerry was named by Fiji Met Service on the 5th and reached category 3 late on the 7th. Brisbane took over responsibility late on the 8th. Kerry was downgraded to category 2 during the afternoon of the 11th and then to category 1 during the afternoon of the 12th. Early on the 13th the system was downgraded to a tropical low. There was an impact from long period swell waves along the southern Queensland and New South Wales coasts. There were many rescues on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts and one surfer drowned. Northern Territory/Western Australia Tropical cyclone Raymond formed off the northwest Australian coast on the 1st. It moved east to make landfall as a Category 1 system on the north Kimberley coast of Western Australia, near Mitchell Plateau. Gale force winds of up to 70 km/h were experienced on nearby Troughton Island for several hours overnight on the 2nd and into the 3rd. Tropical cyclone Raymond brought the first heavy rains of the season to the Kimberley, with the heaviest daily fall recorded being 162.2 mm at Kununurra on the 2nd. Weakening to below tropical cyclone strength, ex-tropical cyclone Raymond traversed central parts of the Northern Territory and then moved into the Gulf of Carpentaria near Mornington Island on the 6th. The system remained over the waters of the Gulf for three days, but remained weak. On the 9th, it moved over the Top End of the Northern Territory, and brought widespread heavy falls, including daily rainfall totals exceeding 100mm at several locations in the Darwin-Daly district. The system moved back into the Timor Sea on the 11th and went further into the Indian Ocean. It did not redevelop into a tropical cyclone. Western Australia From the 7th to the 9th tropical cyclone Sally tracked south near 100oE intensifying slowly before weakening as it encountered cooler water. Sally remained well away from land areas and there were no known impacts associated with this system. Tropical cyclone Tim developed rapidly well off the Pilbara coast on the 23rd. As it tracked to the westsouthwest it dissipated on the 25th. There was no known damage associated with this system. Queensland / New South Wales A tropical low developed on Cape York Peninsula on the 19th. It moved down the east coast and into the Gulf of Carpentaria on the 21st. Two cars collided with a truck near Yalboroo, south of Proserpine in heavy rain on the 23rd resulting in two deaths and three people injured. A farmer drowned in floods in the Burdekin district. There was a rescue in the Townsville region when a truck driver became stranded on his vehicle. More than 10 people were rescued from floodwaters south of Charters Towers. Ten tourists were rescued in the Whitsunday, in north Queensland after being caught by rising floodwaters. The low then moved southwards into the Tasman Sea and there were 5 drownings between Newcastle and Wollongong over the weekend of the 29th and 30th. New South Wales On the 20th, a tornado 20 kilometres from Coonabarabran uprooted trees over a 5 kilometre path. Queensland On the 17th, a line of thunderstorms over the Darling Downs produced a 100 km/h wind gust at Oakey. On the 31st, an isolated severe thunderstorm developed over Rockhampton and produced a 94 km/h wind gust. A tree was blown onto the monkey enclosure in the botanic garden, allowing the monkeys to escape. New South Wales On the 15th, at Batemans Bay (South Coast) hail up to 3cm in diameter was observed. On the 20th, at Berrigan (Riverina) hail up to 2.5cm in diameter was reported. At Narrandera (Riverina) hail 5cm in diameter damaged houses and cars and killed many birds. At Junee (South West Slopes) hail up to 5cm in diameter and power outages were reported. At Corbie Hill (Riverina) hail 3cm in diameter was reported. At Exeter (Illawarra) hail 2cm in diameter was observed. At Lake Bathurst (Southern Tablelands) hail 4cm in diameter stripped leaves off trees. At Tallaganda (Southern Tablelands) hail 2cm in diameter was reported. At Canberra hail up to 3cm in size was reported in Belconnen (western Canberra suburb). In Dickson hail up to 2cm with heavy rain and local flooding occurred. At Sutton Forest (Illawarra) hail up to 4cm in size was reported. At Blayney (Central Tablelands) hail 3cm in size was reported with trees and power lines brought down. Some houses lost roofs. At Bathurst (Central Tablelands) hail 2.5cm in diameter covered the ground. At Warrumbungle (Central West Slopes) hail 2.5cm was observed. At Coonabarabran (Central West Slopes) hail 3.5cm in diameter was reported. At Narrabri (North West Plains) a wind gust of 156 km/h was recorded which caused considerable damage to houses and trees. The gust was one of the highest wind gusts recorded in inland New South Wales. At Kiama (Illawarra) heavy rain and hail up to 2cm in diameter was reported. At Shellharbour (Illawarra) 2cm hail was observed. At Rylstone (Central Tablelands) heavy rain and hail up to 3cm in size was reported with flash flooding. At Raymond Terrace (Hunter) hail to 4cm was observed. At Moree (North West Plains) hail 2cm in diameter was reported. At Bunabah (Hunter) strong winds and hail up to 2.5cm in diameter was recorded. At Blackheath (Central Tablelands) hail 2cm in size was observed. At Leura (Central Tablelands) hail 3cm in diameter was recorded. At Katoomba (Central Tablelands) hail 5cm in diameter was observed. At Penrith (Metropolitan) hail 3.5cm was reported. At Ryde (Metropolitan) brief hail of 4cm in diameter occurred. At Turramurra (Metropolitan) hail up to 3cm in diameter was recorded. At Wahroonga (Metropolitan) hail up to 4cm in diameter was reported. On the 22nd at Guyra (Northern tablelands) hail 3cm in diameter was observed. At Marulan (Southern Tablelands) hail 4cm in diameter was reported and many trees were blown over which caused traffic chaos on the Hume Highway. In Sydney (Metropolitan) on the 23rd very heavy rain occurred on northern beaches which caused flash flooding. Heavy rain occurred in the Western suburbs with Willmot recording 46mm of rain in 1 hour. On the 23rd at Woodford (Central Tablelands) heavy rain occurred with 42mm falling in 1 hour. Smoky Cape (Mid North Coast) recorded 90mm of rain in 6 hours from 9pm on the 27th to 3am on the 28th. Victoria On the 4th, severe thunderstorms developed in western and central districts early in the morning. Minor street flooding occurred in Woodend and trees were blown down in Melton as a result of thunderstorms. Severe thunderstorms redeveloped during the afternoon resulting in a gust of 113km/h at Point Wilson AWS. Damage was reported in the Melbourne metropolitan area due to the damage caused by the thunderstorms. On the 26th, severe thunderstorms developed over much of the central and western parts of the state. The most severe thunderstorms occurred across the Bellarine Peninsula/Geelong area. A wind gust to 117km/h was recorded at the Point Wilson AWS as a severe thunderstorm moved over it. A rainfall total of 100mm was recorded at Grovedale with accumulated rainfall totals from a succession of severe thunderstorms over a six hour period. This total represents a one in one hundred year occurrence. Hail more than 2cm in diameter also was reported. Tasmania Lightning strikes to an electrical control system caused major power disruptions in the southeast of Tasmania on the 28th. Up to 22,000 premises lost power along with loss of traffic control signals in Hobart during the afternoon traffic peak. Other outages south of Hobart and on the East Coast also occurred during the afternoon and evening. South Australia During the afternoon of the 2nd, thunderstorms over the Northwest Pastoral district produced a wind gust of 113 km/h at Tarcoola. On the 3rd, thunderstorms produced large hail at Bridgewater and Aldgate, in the Mount Lofty Ranges district and a suspected tornado at Angaston, in the County Light district. At Redhill 29mm of rain was reported in 1 hour, and 24.6mm at Blackheath. Gusts to 109km/h were recorded at Parafield airport, and 91km/h at Snowtown and at Lameroo. Northern Territory On the afternoon of the 3rd, a squall line caused extensive damage to trees in Katherine South. Minor house damage was also caused by wind gusts associated with the squall line. Also on the 3rd, a monsoon squall in the late afternoon produced a 110km/h gust at Charles Point (35 kilometres west of Darwin). A funnel cloud was reported off East Point in Darwin. A second monsoon squall line produced a 91km/h gust at Charles Point later that evening. On the morning of the 10th a waterspout was observed over Darwin Harbour lasting for approximately five minutes. A squall line that formed over central Arnhem Land on the 18th moved over Delamere in the late evening, recording wind gusts to 96 km/h. No reports of damage were received. A separate storm produced 91 km/h gusts at Daly Waters earlier that afternoon. During the evening of the 24th a series of thunderstorm cells formed over southern Kakadu and in the vicinity of Katherine. Extensive tree damage was observed near Cooinda (southern Kakadu) and in the Katherine region, with one report of large tree branches falling through a house 23 kilometres east of Katherine. Hail approximately 1.3cm in diameter was also reported 15 kilometres east of Katherine. Wind gusts of 102km/h were recorded by the Central Arnhem Plateau AWS. The storm cells then merged, forming a squall line, and moved northwest towards Darwin. Tree and roof damage occurred at Pine Creek. Wind gusts from the squall line caused extensive damage in the Darwin rural area, with reports of tree damage received from Humpty Doo, McMinns Lagoon and Girraween. Winds from a storm at Tortilla Flats (near Batchelor) in the evening of the 25th damaged some large trees, removed roofing iron and pushed a horse float several hundred metres. New South Wales Winds greater than 90 km/h occurred at the following places:
Victoria On the 6th, a gust of 98km/h was recorded at Wilsons Promontory during the evening. Gale force winds continued on the 7th at Wilsons Promontory with a gust of 96km/h recorded. On the 11th, a hot, dry and windy day lead to extreme fire danger across much of the state. The highest wind gusts recorded were 95km/h at Laverton, 93km/h at Wilsons Promontory and 93km/h at Mount Gellibrand. On the 12th, strong winds continued during the early morning, particularly in the Alpine area. A 96km/h gust was reported at Mount Hotham and a 90km/h gust was reported at Mount Buller. Tasmania A yacht sheltering from northeasterly winds at Eddystone Point was driven onto rocks and sank on the 18th following a southerly change. Wind gusts in excess of 90 km/h were reported on the following days:
South Australia On the 3rd, a mean wind of 63km/h occurred at Port Lincoln. Mean winds of 63km/h were briefly experienced at Port Lincoln and Hindmarsh Island on the 11th. On the 15th, mean winds of 63km/h were observed at Marree and Oodnadatta. Western Australia On the 1st, very strong winds destroyed a garden shed 27 kilometres east of York. On the 9th, at Wittenoom, a strong dust devil took the roof off a house. Damage to at least two other buildings was reported with estimated winds of 100 km/h. On the 23rd, at Newdegate Research Station, recorded wind gusts to 98 km/h were reported during a thunderstorm. No damage was reported. Queensland On the 12th, a grass fire at Cecil Plains (Darling Downs) necessitated the evacuation of one home in the area. Several other were threatened. Victoria On the 11th, at Fulham (north of Balmoral and west of the Grampians) a fire burnt more than 12,000 hectares of land in 5 days. On the 26th, a number of fires (more than 25) were started by lightning strikes near the Portland area and also around the Grampians. Tasmania A deliberately lit fire near Waterhouse on the eastern north coast started on the 22nd. The fire finally burnt over 1,100 hectares. Several other small fires were deliberately lit in the same area on the 23rd. Smoke from these fires affected the northeast of the state on the 23rd. Lightning started many fires on the 26th. The most significant was in the Lake Plimsoll area south of Mt Murchison and burnt over 1,100 hectares. Several fires resulted in the closure of major walking tracks in the South West National Park for several days. A fire near Huon Gorge burnt over 450 hectares and another fire at New River Lagoon burnt over 270 hectares. Very warm conditions on the 11th and very windy conditions on the 12th helped fan several fires in the Greater Hobart area on the 11th and 12th. South Australia On the 11th, 14 districts observed extreme fire weather. Significant bushfires occurred at Wangary, on the southern Eyre Peninsula which burnt for several days. Nine people died in this fire. Significant bushfires also occurred at Osmond, in the Mount Lofty Ranges. Western Australia A deliberately lit fire that began on the 15th in the hills east of Perth burnt up to 25,000 hectares of bushland and damaged a number of homes, sheds and cars. On many days between the 15th and 21st, smoke engulfed parts of Perth reducing visibility and causing a health hazard. Both Perth Airport and Jandakot Airport were closed periodically to air traffic using visual flying rules. Northern Territory January was a very quiet month for bushfires with only a few small fires reported in the southeast of the Northern Territory in the Peterman, Lake Mackay and Yulara areas. Queensland Rainfall in the western Gulf region in early January resulted in river rises and flood warnings were issued for several Gulf Rivers and the Georgina river. Flooding continued in the Georgina river and Eyre Creek throughout the month. A tropical low off the north tropical coast towards the end of the month caused heavy rainfalls from Townsville south to Bowen with flood warnings issued for 3 river basins. Preliminary flood warnings were also issued for the coastal rivers and streams between Cairns and Mackay during this event. Flinders River Heavy rainfall in the Cloncurry area was recorded from 6th-7th with totals exceeding 200mm for the 48 hours to 9am on the 7th. Rapid river rises occurred in the Cloncurry River at Cloncurry and river levels peaked with moderate flooding on the 7th. Further heavy rainfall in the upper Flinders river catchment also caused moderate flooding to occur at Richmond on the 10th. The combined floodwaters of the upper Flinders and Cloncurry rivers peaked in the lower Flinders river at Walkers bend on the 17th with minor flooding easing by the 20th. Gregory River Heavy rainfall from the 6th-7th caused river rises and minor flooding in the Gregory river from Riversleigh to Gregory Downs. Minor flooding eventually eased by the 9th. Georgina River and Eyre Creek Widespread rainfall occurred in the Georgina River catchment from the 5th to the 6th with the heavier rainfall in the upstream catchment around Camooweal. River rises occurred at Urandangie and minor flooding peaked on the 9th. Minor to moderate flooding continued downstream with the main floodwaters reaching Marion Downs by the 22nd, although an earlier moderate flood peak had been recorded at Marion Downs from local area rainfall. Moderate flooding continued downstream into Eyre Creek with floodwaters peaking at Glengyle at the end of the month. Don River Heavy rainfall in the Don River catchment of up to 100 mm during the 23rd resulted in sharp river rises and minor to moderate flooding in the upper reaches of the Don River. The river level at Bowen Pump Station peaked overnight on the 23 January with moderate flooding easing during the day. Burdekin River Very heavy falls occurred in the catchment of the Burdekin River during 24 January, with over 400 mm recorded at Paluma for the 48 hours to 9am 24 January. Minor to moderate flooding developed in the upper Burdekin River and Cape River and minor flooding in the lower Burdekin River and coastal tributaries during the 25 January. The Burdekin Falls Dam started spilling on 25 January and maintained the minor flood levels downstream at Inkerman Bridge until the 28th. Haughton River Rainfall totals of up to 200 mm occurred in the Haughton River catchment during 22 to 23 January with moderate to major flooding developing from Flora Valley downstream to Giru during 23 January. Major flood levels continued at Giru during 24 January before slowly easing over the following few days. New South Wales On the 20th, there was flash flooding from thunderstorms in some Canberra suburbs. At Captains Flat (Southern Tablelands) trees were uprooted, at Holbrook (South West Slopes) rock falls occurred on the Hume Highway. Flash flooding also occurred at Rylstone (Central Tablelands). On the 23rd, local flooding and power outages occurred at Bathurst (Central Tablelands) after a thunderstorm and heavy rain. Western Australia Nyang Station recorded a mean monthly maximum temperature of 44.8°C, equalling the Australian record for the hottest ever month, which was previously set at Nyang Station in February 1998. Nyang's mean monthly maximum temperature was also the highest January mean recorded in Australia, the previous highest being 44.6°C at Pannawonica in January 1991. Several centres in the Pilbara and Gascoyne broke their record mean monthly maximum temperatures for January, as well as for any month.
Note: Some statistical records mentioned in this report are based on data that have yet to be fully validated.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
