Coastal New South Wales Rainfall 22 June 2009
Following on my post of 21/6/09, light showers increased to rain periods over much of Sydney late evening which cleared early 22/6/09. Other than some cloudy periods, it was generally a fine sunny day.
Sydney Rainfall
Rainfall across Sydney during the event was relatively uniform. Up until 9 am 22/6/2009 the heaviest falls for Sydney were:-
Avalon 27 mm, Ingleburn (Long Point) 25 mm and Mona Vale Golf Club 24 mm.
Western Sydney:
Fairly uniform totals of between 11 and 18 mm with a few exceptions.
Blacktown City (Dog Pound) 18 mm, Box Hill, Parramatta and Richmond shared 14 mm, 13 mm at Seven Hills and Blacktown (Where I live) and Bankstown and Penrith shared 11 mm.
Coastal Sydney
Other than a few exceptions, a large proportion of rainfall totals fell within the 11 to 23 mm range.
French's Forest 23 mm, Castle Cove 22 mm, North Manly 21 mm, Rose Bay and Randwick 14 mm, Riverview 13 mm, Sydney (Observatory Hill) 12 mm and La Peruse 11 mm.
All parts of Sydney received something from the event.
Further north, falls became heavier.
Central Coast
The highest totals include:-
Mt Elliot 34 mm, Mangrove Mountain 33 mm, Gosford 31 mm and Wyee 30 mm.
Mid North Coast
More substantial rainfalls occurred with the highest falls being:-
Kempsey 78 mm, Lake Cathie 77 mm, Wauchope (Commerce Street) 67 mm, Telegraph Point 62 mm, Port Macquarie Airport AWS 56 mm and Logans Crossing 50 mm.
Bellingen region:
I have read on Weatherzone that the town of Dorrigo is now within 300 mm of breaking its all time rainfall record but I have not checked the accuracy of that. However, following the recent rainfall here, it is pointed out that:-
- Average rainfall at Dorrigo to the end of June is 1,165.4 mm on 82.4 days (14.14 mm per rainy day).
- So far this year, the town has received 2,684.8 mm on 83 days (32.34 mm per rainy day).
The weather station is at Old Coramba Road - Latitude 30.3458 degrees South and 152.7189 degrees East at an elevation of 746 metres.
(Source - Weather Zone - Climatology and weather data details for Dorrigo Weather Station 22/6/09).
More substantial rainfalls have occurred in the Bellingen / Coffs Harbour region with the highest totals being:-
Nambucca 120 mm.
Glenreigh 82 mm.
Shepherds Lane (Coffs Harbour) and Utungun (Taylor's Arm) 77 mm.
Dorrigo (Bielsdown Creek) 66 mm.
Bowra Sugarloaf 60 mm.
Thora Post Office 52 mm.
Grafton and the Far North Coast
As pointed out by readers some flooding has been occurring on rivers in the region. Some big rainfall totals include:-
Ballina Airport and Byron Bay 124 mm, Tucombil 122 mm, Alstonville 118 mm, Evans Head 114 mm, Eungella (Oxley River) 105 mm, Nymboida and Yamba 74 mm and Grafton Airport 65 mm.
A number of other weather stations and rain gauges across the Tweed Region recorded between 51 and 96 mm.
(All figures sourced from Bureau of Meteorology - Land and Water - Weather Stations and Rain Gauge sites 22/6/09 to 9 am).
The contour plot attached below shows this which is generated from "Bureau of Meteorology" Land and Water for 22/6/09. It shows North East New South Wales receiving the bulk of the rainfall but the plot does not depict the scattering of stations that recorded the 100 mm plus falls. Still it shows that the bigger totals fell North of Sydney and much of it was again coastal.
However yesterdays showers and thunderstorms across southern inland New South Wales and other inland areas also provided usefall totals for some inland areas as well. The far south west and western areas of the state received no rainfall.
Harley Pearman
