Over the past 24 hours from 9 am 24/4/2008 to 9 am 25/4/2008, some significant rainfall totals have occurred on the Lower / Mid north coast. These figures are taken from BOM rainfall gauges and some falls are very significant:-
Comboyne 156 mm, Wootton 144 mm, Taree Airport 138 mm, Rocks Crossing 123 mm, Kerewong 120 mm, Mt Seaview 119 mm, Elards 117 mm, Redoak 115 mm, Killabakh 109 mm, Cabbage Tree 106 mm, Bulahdelah 105 mm.
This represents all communities that have received more than 100 mm of rain over the past 24 hours. This narrow stretch of the NSW coast has been drenched with rain and showers all week.
Further south around Newcastle, Nobbys Head had 67 mm, Hexham 65 mm and Maitland 56 mm in the same period (Highest totals only).
On the Central Coast, rainfalls were lighter ranging from 11 to 56 mm with Cooranbong receiving the highest figure of 56 mm.
In Sydney which has been on the southern edges of this system, received further light to moderate showers with Belrose scoring 24 mm, Avalon scoring 22 mm (Highest totals across Sydney), City scoring 5.6 mm and for comparison where I live, an extra 5 mm. Other suburbs scored 10 to 20 mm reasonably spread across the city but with lighter falls occurring in the far western areas.
Amazingly, this SE airstream and associated east coast low to the north east of Sydney has delivered 10 days in a row where showers have fallen sometime during the day at Blacktown. Further, Sydney City has scored some 13 such days in a row where showers or rain periods have fallen.
Looks like the east coast low will start to move away from the coast Saturday and weaken. A cold front is approaching Victoria and drier westerly air looks set to move through the rain soaked region thus clearing this current episode of showers and rain.
Harley Pearman
