Author Topic: Darwin Storm events 2007/2008 (Read 108768 times)

Mike · « **Reply #15 on:** 28 October 2007, 01:10:57 PM »

This second storm produced so much variation of lightning i did not know where to point the camera - single, pulse, double pulse, staccato lightning - it had the lot. I even snapped of four frames whilst one pulsed 3 times in front of me and it did not show up on the camera!

There's currently another large system moving in behind the one just passed - it's large and I'll be heading out yet again.

Here's some pics from the second system. Roll cloud in one of them and the updraughts were strong, the amount of wind coming behind me was very strong.

Mike

Mike · « **Reply #16 on:** 29 October 2007, 08:59:58 PM »

High CAPE environments produced a textbook tropical electrical storm display over the harbour this evening, you guessed it I was working and could only diminish into depression. I was out earlier watching it work up but had to return to work. 20 minutes later three large cells - possibly multicell by the structures - no anvils - but stationary cells just going nuts with intracloud lightning. A decent week for storms this week from what BoM say. Got some neat photos of Hector in full bloom before heading out to work. You'll note there's no specks on these shots this time fellas.....

Mucked around with the F-stop and ISO settings for those that gave me tips, I've managed to work it all out - will get plenty of ops to test it all soon enough one fears....

Mike

David C · « **Reply #17 on:** 30 October 2007, 05:39:03 AM »

Excellent pics Mike!

It's good to have you up there as our eye on the sky. So what's the current weather pattern like up there for severe local storms? Darwin is regarded as one of the lightning 'capitals' of the world (well, Americans insist parts of Florida hold that title, even though it is indisputably somewhere in equatorial Africa), -- I want to see some bolts mate, do you have a camcorder?

Mike · « **Reply #18 on:** 30 October 2007, 09:33:19 AM »

Yes, I'm under pressure from all quarters to get a cam corder - down the track!

We've got a nice low pressure ridge below us and a low associated with it which is moving ever so slightly northward which is why our soundings have been showing good numbers of late. Email from a contact at BoM told me that another line of multicells will form this evening east of Darwin around 5-6pm and probably get active at nightfall. I'm heading down the Arnhem Highway towards Humpty Doo which is about 20 mins from my place to set up and beat of the mutant mosquitos that frequent that area, but it's nice and open and more importantly rural, so it's dark!

Forecasts are for storms all week while this ridge hangs around and with the NW moisture now feeding in it will help significantly. Normally we only average 4 storm days for October total, but it's proving better. La Nina no doubt has an effect. The MJO is entering it's 4-5 phase which is exactly where we want it. SST's are way up and there's been no worrying about CAPE or LI numbers, winds have been favourable also. we've had two near severe storms over the last two days inland, but they tend to die off when entering Darwin's hostile ennvironment with the sea breezes, it's fairly typical of storms not to pass the 22km 'killing field' zone this time of year and head for Darwin City.

I promise I'll get some CGs this week but you'll have to wait for the 'film at 11' footage for now!! I'll speak to the Minister of Finance about it..(wife).

Mike

Mike · « **Reply #19 on:** 02 November 2007, 03:13:22 PM »

! November 1 and offically cyclone season starts.

First actual 'knock-off' storms reach the outskirts of Darwin this afternoon. A couple of large cells flanged a few bolts out in the process with a large amount of rain dumped on the northern suburbs in the process.

Have not even looked at the sounding at all today to see what the recipe was, but from what came in there was no inversion and no dreaded 'killing field' zone that Darwin seems to push out towards the rural area that keeps storms away.

Here's a few pics from the top level at work, thanks to the help of security letting me out there!

Some nice structure with outflow laminations and definite bear's cage blackness!

Mike

(still waiting for something to chase at night - it's been disastrous come 6pm - it all has dissipated!)

Mike · « **Reply #20 on:** 02 November 2007, 03:45:12 PM »

Swap you two pulse storms for one supercell and it's a deal...

Mike · « **Reply #21 on:** 03 November 2007, 02:19:01 PM »

2 November 2007

A trough line is wobbling around the place over the Top End with a low pressure area expected to sit over the top of us on Sunday/Monday which may produce an increase of storms. We've another lot of storms come through the CBD but still for me they're coming too early in the day - I much prefer them around 6pm so I can get the CGs (yes, i'm hopeless thus far at daytime attempts!)

Here's a nice cell that came through Darwin again today. I certainly liked watching the scud whirling around inside the rain shaft area.

Mike · « **Reply #22 on:** 04 November 2007, 04:47:42 AM »

3 November 2007

Stormchasing 101.

Wife wakes you up at 5am as she ready's for work and says 'There's lightning out there'. The slumbering storm chaser rises from the humidity laden house and chaser peers out into the blackness - yep there's flashes! Jumping in the car and zipping around the corner, tripod in hand to check it out and observe - (most important) - Police patrol car pulls up and asks 'Ya okay mate?' - 'Yep, just checking for lightning matey'.

Anyway, drive back home as it's only sheet lightning and jump on the BoM radar to see what's up - a line of two storm cells moving along the coast east west of Darwin, so my daughter is woken by my excitement and we take the missus to work and head out to the cliffs. A couple of positive strikes and four cells maturing side by side.

Now you'd expect flangs all over the place, but no, only saw three and the caps were lightning active. So i set up the camera and wait and wait and oh well wait!

Retrieved some storms shots herewith at about 6:30am before I gave up and headed back home. I'm pleased to say that it was an educational experience and chased in the right direction after my observations.....

Mike

Mike · « **Reply #23 on:** 04 November 2007, 08:36:25 AM »

3 November 2007

Third time out today with the daughter to 'get' some CGs. Sadly to say most of the storms are carrying copuious amounts of wet stuff but not much lightning activity. I suspect that the air is too cool with all these cells around and cloud cover to built any height in the towers to get the mixing going to produce anything of note. I've given up on the lightning tracker - I can hear rumbles but don't see the strikes. There's more energy in a 12v battery at the moment lightning wise.....included the sounding for this morning which proved juicy, but replotting the numbers after the second wave of storms things have settled down a tad with an inversion building. Things are mighty humid as you would expect after the showers and I'm confident of the sun breaking through to get rid of it and heat things up again.

Captured some more gust fronts - seems they all look the same - but I hope the members are liking the photos, they do make for some nice shots. Forecast is simply 'storms' so by all intents and purposes there should be some flangs to take photos of tonight. Let's hope!

Ed - replotting the sounding with the temps rising and the sun out got rid of the inversion quick smart, a bit mush in the mids and no wind to initiate anything severe pulse wise and probably the odd CG around tonight but there's more sunshine and clear skies at the moment which should help things along later on...

Mike

Jimmy Deguara · « **Reply #24 on:** 04 November 2007, 01:32:29 PM »

Mike certainly becoming very active stormwise up there - it seems a better start than previous seasons huh?

There was a decent shelf cloud over the small highrise - I assume it is Darin's skyline?

Regards,

Jimmy Deguara

Mike · « **Reply #25 on:** 04 November 2007, 08:59:36 PM »

Yep Jimmy, better start than last year for sure. La Nina def taking effect on everything. The experts predict the monsoon will be early - probably late November, added to that cyclones usually come that early from what BoM tells us here also. If you're referring to the first photo in the previous thread, nuh, that's not Darwin. it's actually the petroleum tank storage area where the fuel is delivered and trucked out. This used to be smack bang in the middle of town believe it or not!

It's about 20km to the east of Darwin and it's where i frequent to get photos due to good vantage points of the bigger storms that flow from the south-east to the NW. I have a photo which I'll post of Darwin today covered in rain - 55mm we got in town in half an hour.

We usually only average 4 storm days for October - but November sees them pick up considerably. Average rainfall for Darwin in October is about 72mm - November is around 155-260mm - we're already half way to that!

Mike · « **Reply #26 on:** 05 November 2007, 09:02:43 PM »

5 November 2007

Sometimes it's either plain stupidity in decision making or it's de je vu.

For the second Sunday in three weeks I said 'yes' to going to work with my night job seeing as most of the cells were heading east and burnt out by tea time. Guess what? As was the exact, precise, same scenario as the last Sunday I went to work at approximately 8:45pm a line of multicells moved within 10kms of Darwin. Guess where your's truly was?! I went out chasing during tea break and observed the sparodic flashes - the exact same time i went back to work at 8:20 the storms became more active and by 9pm the place was going off its nut with lightning - once again - CGs, CCs, crawlers. This same scenario happened to me before!

Now I was thinking....I'm never saying yes to another Sunday shift. This is the second time I've missed photographing such magnificent electrical storm displays in three weeks.

There's constant flashes as I type but I'm not chasing - i'm to depressed!

Included a nice shot of 4 cells NE of Darwin on the way to work all by themselves...

Mike · « **Reply #27 on:** 07 November 2007, 12:34:09 PM »

November 6 2007
Excellent line of storms converged on Darwin's northern coastal areas around 9;15am and gradually moved into the city. Have got some nice cloud structure photos from across the bay overlooking the casino and to the NE as one particular cell formed a shelf and wedge base as it closed in on land. I did not capture the gust front or rain shaft as it hit landfall, but it looked much better coming from out to see into Darwin anyway.

Will upload the photos tonight - more like around 1am by the looks of things as I'm working tonight with my second job again...

and have included today's sounding for those who would like to view it.

These were the rain rates as at 2pm Darwin time for the northern suburbs and the city central only got about 5mm.!~!

Nightcliff Pool 49mm
Marrara 25mm
Stokes Hill 7.8mm
Charles Point 24mm
Darwin Airport 11.2mm

David C · « **Reply #28 on:** 07 November 2007, 01:19:30 PM »

Keep it coming Mike, enjoying your posts and photos. Also good for us 'southerners' to learn about conditions up there and in helping us figure out when to go and what to expect when we get up there in the future.

Mike · « **Reply #29 on:** 07 November 2007, 09:36:49 PM »

7 November 2007
Photos as promised. The large bubbly cell over the buildings is actually on the eastern coastal region (ten minute drive) but they were that big they dwarfed parliament house in the foreground! The other shots are from a vantage point I located that overlooks that very eastern coastal area and the casino at Mindil Beach. These cells combined to give us some drenching. Some roadways were flooded during the downpour. These photos show great growth of the storm and smaller immature towers bubbling away surrounding the main billowing tower - top stuff!

There were reports from BoM of a couple of severe storms in the 'further' rural area with winds of 87mph and 75mph respectively with assocaited heavy rain.

A slight lull in the rain for a couple of days as the low moves westerly, but the trough is hanging over us so the storms will be here and there. I've got no night work the next two nights, hoping to get something...anything!

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