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SIGNIFICANT WEATHER - SEPTEMBER 1999
A significant depression and associated frontal system brought gales and thunderstorms to southern States at the beginning of the month. Windy conditions in the Northern Territory fanned several grass fires during the month. Large hail occurred with thunderstorms that affected Sydney on the 22nd.
New South Wales On the 2nd at Narrandera and Griffith (Riverina) 3cm hail and flash flooding (26mm in 20 minutes) was reported from the Griffith/Narrandera area. Hail broke a windscreen on a police vehicle and flash flooding was experienced on roads. On the 22nd large hail and sporadic damage through parts of the Sydney metropolitan area were experienced. Three waves of thunderstorms in the early evening produced 4.2cm hail in Willoughby and 2cm hail in Campbelltown and Ryde. Sydney Airport reported a maximum wind gust of 87 km/h and 31mm fell at Homebush. Impacts included hail damaged roofs, fallen trees and lightning strikes. South Australia A significant frontal system crossed the settled areas of the state on the 3rd and 4th of September. A prefrontal cloud band brought rainfall to most districts. Strong northerly winds on the 3rd turned squally southwesterly early on the 4th causing minor damage to property and vegetation. An intense complex low pressure system crossed the state over the 15th and 16th. Gale force northwest to southwest winds caused damage to property across the Adelaide Plains, Mount Lofty Ranges and the Southeast. Hail, 2cm in diameter, was reported from Kingston in the Southeast. Much of the southeast of the state reported hail and wind damage to crops. At Nuriootpa, in the County Light, a large empty stainless steel wine vat was blown over. The strongest wind gust of 109 km/h was reported at Neptune Island. A wind gust of 107 km/h was recorded at Mt Lofty. Western Australia On the 2nd strong winds with gusts to more than 80 km/h associated with severe thunderstorms blew over several power poles in the Bunbury area. A tornado was reported in the vicinity of Capel (to the south of Perth) where a large area of trees was stripped of foliage and several pushed to the ground. Further east, in the Kojonup area, a number of trees were damaged by strong winds.
Victoria On the 3rd severe gusts were reported in the Geelong area. On the 4th severe gusts were recorded in the Central and Northeast districts. Recorded gusts were Melbourne Airport 95 km/h, Falls Creek 104 km/h, Dunns Hill 111 km/h and Mt Buller 124 km/h. On the 15th and 16th microburst activity produced severe gusts in the Central, North Central, Gippsland and Alpine districts. The highest recorded gust was 140 km/h at Falls Creek. Tree and building damage occurred and a house under construction at Geelong collapsed. Tasmania Large areas of Tasmania (especially the North) were affected by dust that fell in rain on the 16th. This appears to have been picked up over Victoria (where the winds were especially strong) and dropped over Tasmania. No significant damage was reported. Although not causing reported damage, several days of strong winds over Bass Strait from the 16th-18th caused the cancellation of the Bass Strait passenger ferry. Wind gusts exceeding 90 km/h were recorded at Mt Wellington (near Hobart) on the 1st, 3rd, 4th 16th, 17th, 28th, 29th and 30th. In the Derwent Estuary (near Hobart) on the 4th, 17th and 28th, at Cape Grim on the 17th and 28th and at Keoghs Pimple on the 30th. No damage was reported.
Western Australia The passage of several cold fronts produced snowfalls in far southwest Western Australia during September. On the 3rd a light covering of snow was observed in Bluff Knoll, the highest point of Stirling Range. A blanket of snow covered the upper reaches of Stirling Range on the 15th. Some of the deeper portions of snow persisted for most of the day.
Northern Territory Strong and gusty westerly winds produced extreme fire danger in the western Alice Springs region on the 15th. Three very large fires (over 1000 square kilometres each) burnt scrub and grassland in the northern Tanami desert, the northern Barkly and the southern Gulf Country during the last three weeks of the month. No damage was reported from the 8 affected pastoral properties apart from significant loss of pasture. A bushfire burnt 6 square kilometres of bush around Jabiru on the 24th, threatening the All Seasons Kakadu Lodge and the Jabiru caravan park. In the Darwin region, 118 grassfires broke out during September. The largest fires were in the McMinns Lagoon and Humpty Doo rural areas on the 27th and 28th and burnt over 100 hectares, threatened houses and caused thousands of dollars of damage to vehicles, sheds, mango plantations, baling hay and irrigation equipment.
Western Australia Several sites in northern agricultural areas around Geraldton received record daily rainfall amounts on the 21st as a low pressure system developed off the coast.
Note: Some statistical records mentioned in this report are based on data that have yet to be fully validated.
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