Topic: NSW / SE QLD Severe Storms 25-27 March 2009

[Richary]

I didn't see any reports of hail from yesterday, just heavy rain and obviously high winds especially in the lower Blue Mountains where some trees were brought down onto power lines. As mentioned in another report I also saw the pileus on top of the Penrith cell while it was still a fair way off.

Today I left work at Chatswood about 4:30pm and saw a few flashes to west but they had died off before I got home. The rain had obviously been heavy but brief looking at the puddles on the road (about 3mm here). That would have been the storm Dave N mentioned for this afternoon.

Since then a few distant flashes but nothing spectacular. The front is forecast to hit Sydney about midnight so it will be interesting to see if it brings any lightning, though the radar doesn't make anything look too spectacular.

[Jimmy Deguara]

Hi,

Been playing around with video of the March 25 western Sydney lightning event. Lots of work but hopefully worthwhile:

Western Sydney lightning display and storm timelapse March 25 2009

Michael, shear was not that great but the storm moved sharp right along a boundary. I find that once a storm follows a boundary, you enhance the ability to rotate even of brief. Coupled with the sharp right movement against the inflow, that is sufficient with the increased CAPE (inflow was not cool either despite being from the southeast) to enhance the ability for storms to rotate. Not suggesting at all this was a supercell either but there were multiple reports of such characteristics. Check the video too!

Regards,

Jimmy Deguara

[Antonio (stormboy)]

It looks like it may become an interesting day tomorrow over the northern rivers, se QLD and northern tablelands. Most of northern rivers are predicted thunderstorm developing while se QLD is possible storms.

stormboy

[Jason(pato)]

Looks like there is an upper trough coming through today, although the presence of the southerly has me a touch concerned. If the southerly can hold off till a bit later we may see some action here in the NRs. Personally I think the NTs could be a target area today but with some decent shear in the uppers we could see some storms drift down later in the evening to the NRs. Am considering my options whether or not to head up to the Tenterfield area today, but I think I'll leave my decision till later in the morning and see what the soundings show.

Cheers Jason

[Harley Pearman]

I pulled these photos from my short video clips I took around Blacktown 25/3/2009.

The last few are from the same lightning flash. It was a big flash and it culminated in a very bright flash resembling a tree.

The best rainfalls were around far Western Sydney with 34 mm at Glenmore Park, 30 mm at Bringelly, 29 mm at Richmond and 18 mm at Penrith. Falls varied between 4 and 7 mm in places between Parramatta and Penrith with lighter falls further east.

It would also be appropriate to mention here, at 4.30 pm 26/3/2009, a small but reasonably fast moving thunderstorm travelling from south west to north east direction affected a narrow path through western Sydney. The storm affected Fairfield, Merrylands, Auburn, Sydney Olympic Park and Strathfield before weakening towards the city. Again, some cloud to ground lightning was observed. It dropped a short sharp but heavy shower of rain and probably small brief hail because I heard noise resembling small hail stones hitting the Auburn Council Chambers roof during the event.

I noted substantial leaf litter across the roads when driving afterwards near the intersection of Rawson Street and Parramatta Road Auburn indicating that some strong winds from the thunderstorm had affected this area.

That thunderstorm dropped up to 4 mm around Auburn (Storm peak appeared to be over Auburn), 3.4 mm around Sydney Olympic Park and 2 mm in adjacent suburbs.

Power was cut to Beatrice Street Auburn just prior to the thunderstorm due to a power line collapsing which brought down live wires and emergency repairs were underway just prior to the thunderstorm. The road between Marion Street and Susan Street Auburn was blocked. Repairs had to cease during the thunderstorm only to resume afterwards.

Harley Pearman

[Colin Maitland]

looks like a line of storms building around Tenterfield, northern NSW/ SE QLD at about 2.00 - 2.30pm EST. (27/03/09)   

Late edit: (6.12pm est) what a fizzer, would you believe, maybe a shower

[Antonio (stormboy)]

we currently 28th 1:50am in Ballina have a storm on us its pouring and very windy radar indicates its going towards macleans ridges area near Micheal bath.

[Michael Thompson]

Been playing around with video of the March 25 western Sydney lightning event. Lots of work but hopefully worthwhile:

Great video. There actually appears to be a bit more moisture available for you that afternoon. Ironic as humidity would not have said so, but our cool 23C seabeeeze slug may have had higher humidity, but not actual available moisture

[vrondes]

Late report from last Wednesday the 25th and Thursday the 26th of march storms in Sydney due to failed server for the last 2 weeks, Wednesday evening was crawler territory around Parramatta. Bumped into Shane  and Phil who photographed some good crawlers as well. Brilliant video and photo from Jimmy and Wolter in Blacktown.
The following shots were from Wednesday









As Harley mentioned in his post, the Thursday afternoon storm that passed through to the south of parramatta had some brief but interesting characteristics,it showed some moderate inflow into  its rfb which wasnt that well defined ,lots of thunder but hazy visibility prevented good photographs, possible clear slot in the 1st photo before the inflow gave way to outflow in the form of a nice shelf cloud prior to the downburst and collapse of the storm to the east.







Cheers, Con.