6th Feb: The cell that rolled off the Blue Mountains and then went onto to pummell Western Sydney was certainly a sight to behold. Racing to the nearest vantage point (on foot) when I heard those first few rumbles, what confronted me to the not too distant west, had me standing in awe. The structure and myriad of colours was amazing to watch as it built.
I was at Werrington at the time, and what followed here was some very heavy and consistent rain, and occasional strong wind gusts. Considering the rainfall totals in South West Sydney, which included 60mm at Bringelly, 69mm at Rossmore and 87mm at Badgerys Creek, I'd say the most intense/dynamic parts of the cell were to the south and north (reports of damage Richmond/Windsor) of here despite the ominous appearance to the monster towering over this location. The already flooded South Creek not to far from where I was that evening quickly rose again, and the taking into account the totals above I'm sure it continued to rise even further as the night went on, as those areas mentioned are part of the creek's upper catchment.
7th Feb: I was able to witness yesterday's storms in my home territory - the lower mountains. They were rapid to built and drop their load and due to this quick succesion, minimal organisation could be seen. Numerous seperate cells rolled over this area one after the other, pumping out copious amounts of driving rain, sheeting and spraying off every hard surface. Some gusts were strong enough to blow bark and twigs of trees. Some localised flash flooding to report of which is saying something about the rainfall intensity considering this is a mountainous area with porous soils.
Mike
