As predicted in the post below, severe storms pounded Perth yesterday afternoon bringing heavy rain, golf-ball sized hail in the northern suburbs, and wind gusts as strong as 117kmh at Ocean Reef.
Perth Airport's 4 month long dry spell ended with a bang when 25mm of rain fell in just 10 minutes, with 41mm in total. Swanbourne had its heaviest rain in 5 years with 48mm. As the storms hammered through the temperature dropped from a hot 32 degrees to a chilly 18 degrees in just 2 hours!
Storms are once again possible today and they could be severe but not as brutal or widespread as yesterday.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Ului weakens but continues to drench QLD from coast to country
Ului crossed the QLD coast at Airlie Beach as a category 3 tropical cyclone early on Sunday morning but then weakened rapidly once it made landfall. Ex TC Ului is now tracking through northwest QLD and while winds have eased, it's still continuing to bring heavy rain and flooding to the Central Coast, Capricornia, Central Highlands and Central West districts. In the last 24 hours to 9am this morning, many already rain and wind ravaged towns between Mackay and Rockhampton have recorded over 100mm of rain.
The rain will gradually ease as Ului tracks fruther west and brings patchy rain to the Northern Territory. But many are asking: will this rain will affect flooded southwest and southern QLD? Luckily this rain will only spill into northern parts of those catchments where floodwaters have already receded so they should see little impact from this.
But it will be weeks and even months before the cyclone-hit Whitsundays and coastal towns recover from the structural and economic impact of Ului.
The rain will gradually ease as Ului tracks fruther west and brings patchy rain to the Northern Territory. But many are asking: will this rain will affect flooded southwest and southern QLD? Luckily this rain will only spill into northern parts of those catchments where floodwaters have already receded so they should see little impact from this.
But it will be weeks and even months before the cyclone-hit Whitsundays and coastal towns recover from the structural and economic impact of Ului.
Severe storms in southwest to bring first rain in months for Perth
It never rains, but it pours! Many parts of southwest WA haven’t seen rain in months but today the much- anticipated wet weather is arriving with a bang- literally.
Severe storms are expected across much of the Southwest Land Division and southern Gascoyne with heavy rain, hail and squally winds.
Tropical moisture piling in from the north is clashing with a cold pool leading to humidity, instability and potentially volatile thunderstorms today. There is a possibility that some of this severe weather could affect Perth too.
Severe storms are expected across much of the Southwest Land Division and southern Gascoyne with heavy rain, hail and squally winds.
Tropical moisture piling in from the north is clashing with a cold pool leading to humidity, instability and potentially volatile thunderstorms today. There is a possibility that some of this severe weather could affect Perth too.
Friday, March 19, 2010
TC Ului to hit QLD coast on Sunday
Tropical Cyclone Ului is now heading towards the QLD coast and is expected to strike somewhere between Cardwell and Mackay on Sunday morning. Areas between Cardwell and Yeppoon including the adjacent inland are on Cyclone Watch with damaging winds expected to develop in this region during Saturday.
Ului is currently located about 1000km northeast of Mackay and has steadily weakened from a category 5 to a category 3 system. The cyclone currently appears less organised on the satellite with its eye barely visible- a weakening that the cyclone itself is responsible for. Since the system has been moving very slowly, its winds have been churning up the warm ocean surface, allowing the colder water to come up. Known as "upwelling", this process has lead to Ului's weakening since cyclones require warm ocean waters to fuel them. However, Ului is expected to accelerate and strengthen one again as it approaches the QLD coast.
The heaviest rain is expected at the centre and south of where the cyclone strikes, along with destructive winds and storm surge. But it's not just the Cyclone Watch area that will be impacted by Ului. Coastal conditions as far south as the Gold Coast are also becoming increasingly dangerous with large seas, monster swell and strong winds. Beach erosion is expected at exposed beaches, especially the Sunshine and Fraser coasts.
While tropical cyclones are common in QLD, they don't often cross the coast this far south. The last time we had a category 2 cyclone or higher cross the coast south of Townsville was 18 years ago with TC Fran. It's been a relatively quiet cyclone season too. On average, 13 cyclones appear in the Australian region each season. Ului is only our 6th but a lower number of cyclones is typical in an El Nino year.
Stay tuned to channel 603 where we'll keep you covered on Ului's every turn.
Ului is currently located about 1000km northeast of Mackay and has steadily weakened from a category 5 to a category 3 system. The cyclone currently appears less organised on the satellite with its eye barely visible- a weakening that the cyclone itself is responsible for. Since the system has been moving very slowly, its winds have been churning up the warm ocean surface, allowing the colder water to come up. Known as "upwelling", this process has lead to Ului's weakening since cyclones require warm ocean waters to fuel them. However, Ului is expected to accelerate and strengthen one again as it approaches the QLD coast.
The heaviest rain is expected at the centre and south of where the cyclone strikes, along with destructive winds and storm surge. But it's not just the Cyclone Watch area that will be impacted by Ului. Coastal conditions as far south as the Gold Coast are also becoming increasingly dangerous with large seas, monster swell and strong winds. Beach erosion is expected at exposed beaches, especially the Sunshine and Fraser coasts.
While tropical cyclones are common in QLD, they don't often cross the coast this far south. The last time we had a category 2 cyclone or higher cross the coast south of Townsville was 18 years ago with TC Fran. It's been a relatively quiet cyclone season too. On average, 13 cyclones appear in the Australian region each season. Ului is only our 6th but a lower number of cyclones is typical in an El Nino year.
Stay tuned to channel 603 where we'll keep you covered on Ului's every turn.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Central QLD on alert for possible cyclone crossing
We’ve been talking about Severe Tropical Cyclone Ului on The Weather Channel since last Friday, and up until now the storm has been looming so far offshore in the Coral Sea that it hasn’t posed a major threat to the QLD coast- but it looks like this is about to change.
Severe TC Ului is currently located about 1240km northeast of Mackay and it’s moving slowly south at about 4km/hr. On Friday, TC Ului is expected to turn west-southwest and start tracking towards the QLD coast. There is still uncertainty as to exactly which part of the QLD coast is under threat but at this stage most models are in agreeance that the cyclone could impact the central QLD coast, between Bowen and Gladstone, over the weekend.
While large swell and strong winds are already pounding QLD shores, coastal conditions are only going to worsen in the coming days as Ului looms closer to the mainland. Dangerous seas, destructive winds and heavy rain will accompany the cyclone which has prompted evacuations from Heron Island and Lady Elliot Island.
Currently a category 4 system, TC Ului is bringing sustained winds of 185kmh, with gusts as strong as 260kmh near the cyclone centre.
Severe TC Ului is currently located about 1240km northeast of Mackay and it’s moving slowly south at about 4km/hr. On Friday, TC Ului is expected to turn west-southwest and start tracking towards the QLD coast. There is still uncertainty as to exactly which part of the QLD coast is under threat but at this stage most models are in agreeance that the cyclone could impact the central QLD coast, between Bowen and Gladstone, over the weekend.
While large swell and strong winds are already pounding QLD shores, coastal conditions are only going to worsen in the coming days as Ului looms closer to the mainland. Dangerous seas, destructive winds and heavy rain will accompany the cyclone which has prompted evacuations from Heron Island and Lady Elliot Island.
Currently a category 4 system, TC Ului is bringing sustained winds of 185kmh, with gusts as strong as 260kmh near the cyclone centre.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Perth sweats through its hottest night since 1962!
The hot and dry spell across Perth continues to break records! The city had it's driest summer on record with a tiny 0.2mm recorded in the rain gauge on the 6th February this year, and we haven't seen a drop since making it the driest start to the year on record! Perth Airport didn't receive any rain at all over summer and the dry spell has continued into Autumn.
Summer in Perth is typically characterised by low rainfall- around 35mm on average- but consistent high pressure in the southwest and a lack of tropical moisture have resulted in the unprecedented dry weather.
That's just the dry, but what about the heat? Many sites in Perth experienced their hottest or equal hottest summer on record in terms of mean daily maximum temperature. And the records are still tumbling! Perth just sweated through its hottest night for any month since 1962 with the mercury staying above 28.1 degrees all night. Extreme heat will persist today with 39 degrees expected this afternoon followed by another hot night. But cooler weather is just around the corner. Tomorrow, onshore winds will put a cap on the maximum temperature with a much more bearable 30 degrees forecast for Saturday.
Summer in Perth is typically characterised by low rainfall- around 35mm on average- but consistent high pressure in the southwest and a lack of tropical moisture have resulted in the unprecedented dry weather.
That's just the dry, but what about the heat? Many sites in Perth experienced their hottest or equal hottest summer on record in terms of mean daily maximum temperature. And the records are still tumbling! Perth just sweated through its hottest night for any month since 1962 with the mercury staying above 28.1 degrees all night. Extreme heat will persist today with 39 degrees expected this afternoon followed by another hot night. But cooler weather is just around the corner. Tomorrow, onshore winds will put a cap on the maximum temperature with a much more bearable 30 degrees forecast for Saturday.
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