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SIGNIFICANT WEATHER - MARCH 1997
Introduction
Cyclones
Thunderstorms
Wind
Flooding
Temperature
Rainfall
Rain was the dominant weather element in March. Tropical Cyclone JUSTIN, as well as causing widespread wind damage, produced floods on the north Queensland coast. Northwest Queensland also saw severe flooding and heavy rain damaged vineyards in New South Wales, caused roofs to collapse in Victoria and flooded hundreds of houses in Tasmania.
Queensland
Over a period of 19 days, tropical cyclone
JUSTIN wreaked havoc over the Coral Sea and
along parts of the Queensland east coast and
Papua New Guinea. The resulting damage
included severe beach erosion and reef damage
around Heron Island, the Whitsundays and along
the Queensland coast from Cairns to Bundaberg.
Many lives were lost at sea to the south of Papua
New Guinea. Severe property and tree damage
occurred over Papua New Guinea resulting in an
estimated damage bill close to $4M(AUS).
About 30 lives were lost and several more people
were missing.
A yacht, the Queen Charlotte, with 5 people
on board was lost. A massive air search found no
trace of the yacht and crew. Storm force winds
caused general tree and crop damage from Cairns
to Townsville, where severe flooding resulted in
the loss of at least 2 lives.
Queensland
On the 31st, severe thunderstorms brought deep
hail falls to the northern Brisbane suburbs with
golf ball size being reported in Bardon and
Chermside. The SES reported more than 40
houses with leaking roofs. Strong gusty winds
uprooted many trees in the area and also further
north from Deception Bay to Bribie Island, with 6
houses suffering roof damage on Bribie Island and
one on the Gold Coast.
Storms on the 2nd produced 59mm of rain in 120 minutes at Wagga Wagga; 3cm hail at Mudgee; 72mm of rain in 45 minutes at Denham which resulted in $300,000 worth of damage to vineyards; 2.5cm hail at Wollar; 3cm hail at Wollombi; and 70mm of rain in 30 minutes at Razorback near Picton. On the 23rd, 4cm hail fell at Razorback. On the 30th, 3cm hail fell at Wingham. Victoria On the 1st and 2nd, thunderstorms at Cobram in the Northern Country produced large hail to 3cm, heavy rainfall, strong winds and a possible tornado. Trees were uprooted and hail damaged some crops and smashed a few windows On the 7th, a slow moving thunderstorm which crossed Port Phillip Bay, produced 44mm of rain in 1 hour at Moorabbin Airport. At nearby Mordialloc, part of the roof of a roller skating rink collapsed under the weight of the heavy rain. . Western Australia On the 7th, 20 cent size hail and flash flooding were reported near Bencubbin. On the 8th, roof damage was caused by a thunderstorm gust at Wyndham. On the 15th, a house was unroofed near Tammin and there was tree damage from a storm near Brookton. There were widespread storms throughout the southwest of the State on the 29th. Flash flooding, damaging winds and up to golfball-size hail were reported from a storm that started near Newdegate and moved southeast to the south of Bodallin. 300 sheep died from exposure overnight at Newdegate. Northern Territory
Severe thunderstorms occurred near Berry
Springs on the 12th with an estimated wind Gust
of 100km/h. Minor damage to trees was reported.
Queensland A deep monsoonal low near Mount Isa early in March caused severe flooding in the Cloncurry area and in the Gulf of Carpentaria river systems in the vicinity. Northern Territory
Heavy rainfall in the Darwin area caused
widespread flooding and inundated many
properties in the rural area. All Darwin schools
were closed for a day on the 4th due to flooding.
The Elizabeth River cut the Stuart Highway
isolating Darwin, and the Adelaide River rose to
it's highest level in 20 years, cutting the Arnhem
Highway for several days.
South Australia
On the morning of the 23rd, galeforce
southwest winds associated with a small, but deep
low pressure system buffeted the Lower Southeast
coast between Kingston and Robe, causing
scattered minor damage. Winds of 65km/h,gusting
to 90km/h were recorded at Cape Jaffa.
South Australia In Adelaide, the maximum temperature did not exceed 30 C on any day during March for the first time since records began in 1857. Lowest Mean Maximum Temperature for March
Previous Years of
Station Actual Lowest Year Record
øC øC
Western Australia
Albany 21.5 21.7 1968 32
Lowest Mean Minimum Temperature for March
Previous Years of
Station Actual Lowest Year Record
øC øC
Northern Territory
Alice Springs 14.3 14.4 1946 55
Larrimah 20.5 21.0 1994 30
Victoria R. Downs 20.0 =20.0 1994 29
Queensland Willis Island recorded 1528.6mm during March and 2116.6mm for the first three months of 1997, exceeding the previous highest annual total of 2024.2 in 1959. Tasmania Heavy rainfall occurred on the morning of the 28th in areas south of Hobart. Flash flooding was reported in many areas. A supermarket in Kingston suffered an estimated $400,000 worth of damage. Newspapers estimated the number of flood-damaged homes to be 200. Many roads had minor flood damage. Daily rainfall totals were up to 70mm, most falling within a few hours. Highest Monthly Rainfall on Record for Any Month
Previous Years of
Station Actual Highest Year Record
mm mm
Queensland
Cloncurry
(Devoncourt Stn) 693.2 512.1 Jan '74 111
Duchess Hotel 500.0 435.2 Jan '74 83
Highest Monthly Rainfall on Record for March
Previous Years of
Station Actual Highest Year Record
mm mm
Queensland
Carsland Stn. 408.5 347.8 1971 44
Mount Isa 291.0 240.7 1971 32
Lansdown CSIRO 389.8 345.7 1990 34
New South Wales
Candello 411.2 377.4 1914 109
Lowest Monthly Rainfall on Record for March
Previous Years of
Station Actual Lowest Year Record
mm mm
Queensland
Double Island Pt 18.2 19.4 1980 105
Cambooya 2.0 2.9 1944 111
Karara 5.2 5.6 1971 30
New South Wales
Cape Byron 35.8 44.6 1954 46
Burrinjuck Dam 0.0 0.5 1954 88
Highest Daily Rainfall on Record for Any Month
Previous Years of
Station Actual Date Highest Year Record
mm mm
Queensland
Gordonvale
(Mount Sofia) 713.0 23 485.4 Jan '79 30
Yabula (Old Nickel) 453.0 24 340.6 Mar '46 79
Rollingstone
(Lassie Creek Stn) 155.6 24 152.4 Dec '90 30
Listowel Downs 167.4 6 151.4 Mar '49 121
Highest Daily Rainfall on Record for March
Previous Years of
Station Actual Date Highest Year Record
mm mm
Queensland
Weipa (Old Mapoon) 161.0 7 153.9 1959 73
Cloncurry
(Fort Constantine Stn)179.0 3 125.0 1994 110
Ravenshoe 284.0 23 243.6 1946 70
Blue Range
(Burdekin R.) 121.0 24 102.0 1990 45
Lansdown CSIRO 174.2 24 122.6 1990 34
Ulcanbah 170.2 1 131.8 1963 61
Pomona 293.0 6 168.9 1925 79
Borumba Dam
(Yabba Creek) 193.6 6 114.3 1963 38
Western Australia
Karnet 50.0 30 47.6 1990 34
Graham Rock 69.8 30 57.4 1953 59
Note: Some statistical records mentioned in this report are based on data that have yet to be fully validated.
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