Topic: Rain, Storms and Snow Southeast Aust: 7-11 July 2008

[Michael Bath]

There's a significant weather system developing at present which should bring widespread rain to parts of VIC, NSW and S QLD.  Snowfalls are quite likely along much of the ranges up to about Glen Innes Tuesday and Wednesday according to GFS, LAPS and EC. Thunderstorms and moderate rainfall totals are quite likely over some areas.

The models also have another strong cold front following this first cold pool / cut-off low later Wed and into Thursday. The ski fields should do well out of that one.

[Michael Bath]

This system is looking very nice for snow on the Central Tablelands. The satpic loop shows the cold pool over Adelaide this morning and it appears it will head mostly eastwards.  Not so favourable for the Northern Tablelands though 12z GFS suggests snow possible from about 10pm Tuesday until pre-dawn Wed. Mt Kaputar might do quite well. However, the CT should see daytime snow Wed.

[Shaun Galman]

Hi Michael & all,
Today was a real nice day out this way weather wise! I think we've had a bit of everything as far as cloud, storms, showers and structure! It's been a gorgeous temp (around 20ºc) where standing out in a light, but cool wind, watching the storm cells pass then get a break in the cloud base or clearing to let some warm sunlight shine down. I love this time of year! Anyway I digress - We've had some real nice updrafts under weak but stable anvils pass through dropping the odd light shower and show decent lightning activity, even virga turning back to mamatus at one point! I couldn't see the lightning as it was obscured from my view here and it seemed to be out to the North of town but there were several thunder rolls.

Currently (4:29pm) the storm structures in place to our SW are good enough to not look out of place in the middle of summer!? There's a large, slightly fibrous anvil with some large updraft towers sitting on the front edge (like a reverse flanking line?) and a wide, dark and ominous rain core to the right of the main updraft region, more to the West of the main area. This is active and causing an odd power flicker. The wind is still now but I would imagine it will turn Sou-Westerly after this storm line crosses us at some point tonight.

If things look good fro a few shots, be assured I will head on out for a few and post them in situ.
Cheers and take care,
Shauno   

[Jimmy Deguara]

Yes Michael,

Central Tablelands looking good and just in time for the new arrivals from the Philippines. They are both getting excited! I am on school vacation too! Let's hope what I see on the models persists because there seems to be substantial precipitation forecast by several models!

We'll see!

Regards,

Jimmy Deguara

[Richary]

The squall line from the NW (for want of a better term) hit about 9:30 here. (Narrow band of intense rain moving fast). Rain intiially falling from a southerly direction with very large drops making big bangs on the metal roof out here where I have the PC, but then changed to coming in from a NW direction with the inflow? There were a couple of bangs from thunder though I was inside and didn't see any lightning.

The way the rain changed direction was similar to the strong summer storms but may have just been caused by the front coming through, but we had no wind at ground level so must have been caused a bit higher up. Only 3mm here with it though.

[Harley Pearman]

Rainfall totals from rain event 7/7/2008

This rain event has brought some of the better rainfalls seen in inland NSW and Victoria for this year and some places received reasonable totals although more is needed. In particular some of the better falls worth stating for New South Wales include:-

Rankin Springs 35 mm, Cowra 31 mm, Wagga Wagga 30 mm, Talbingo 29 mm, Corobost 28 mm, Toogong 24 mm, Tumbarumba and Cootamundra 23 mm, Thredbo 22 mm, Barraba 21 mm, Crookwell 19 mm.

It is a concern as stated in Weatherzone Weather News that the fall in Cootamundra is the best seen this year. It highlights how dry it has been in these areas.

A large swathe of the south west slopes in New South Wales, even into the Riverina and Central West Slopes scored anywhere between 10 and 35 mm. All helpful.

Go to http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDN6003.htm/

for the daily rain list.

A rain band moved across western Sydney last night. While it only brought 4 mm where I live, the raindrops were rather large.

Amazingly, today 8/7/08 saw maximum temperatures in the south west slopes and Central west slopes hover between 7 and 11 degrees Celsius (A rather cold day) and snow fell at Thredbo.

Interestingly for Sydney, the period 8 to 13 July is usually the coldest period of the year and this cold spell moving across the state is likely to result in cooler temperatures for the next day or so ie 14 to 16 degrees or thereabouts. Either way, this cold period coincides with the coldest week of the year.

Harley Pearman

[Richary]

Was looking at Adelaide for yesterday. Maximum occurred at midday (on the 30 minute updates from the bureau) at 10.7, with the wind chill making the temperature feel like 5.5. Though as the temp dropped slightly but so did the wind the apparent temperature snuck up just past 6. Hmmm, rather glad I have moved to Sydney!

Though tomorrow is a rooftop job at North Ryde with the lowest maximum for the year here and wind. I think I will rug up.

[David Brodrick]

Narrabri, NSW, 7th July 2008

We ended up having a nice bit of weather yesterday too. Much of the day had this convection with a striking vertical shear gradient. The clouds were really being stretched out as they rose. By around 4pm the cumulus field had given way to a few big storm cells with expansive anvils. These woulds would have been mostly East of Shaun but I could also see the other line to your West on the GPATS lightning tracker.

Everything was very dark, strange and ominous in town by about 5pm. We ended up with quite active thunderstorms. Some good CGs landed not too far away. Rose (the Mrs) had small hail near Wee Waa. Most local weather stations finished up with 6-14mm of rain.

Richary good luck with tomorrow, be thankful your not at Orange with an OCF forecast max of 4 degrees!

Cheers,
  Dave

[James]

Headed up to Oberon this morning as well. Couple of photos from around town. The sunrise photo taken next to those two giant wind turbines just north of town. Some good snow out at Shooters Hill - nothing substantial but a nice inch of snow.

 





   
 
 
 

[Shaun Galman]

Hi guys,
Great shots James! That first sunrise photo is stunning and looks like it was well worth the effort of rugging up to head out lol!

The storms on the 7th stuck around into the evening here. The last one at around 7pm-ish was very active with many bright crawlers (due to the colder conditions no doubt) but it was moving too quickly towards Collarenebri to return home for my camera and try for shots? Oh well, next time.

Temps haven't been over 15ºc today, and was pretty much the same for yesterday. We had a low of 4.2ºc this morning at 5am. Currently there is a fairly constant wind pushing in from the SW at 9kph, gusting to 13kph at times. No rain falls really worth mentioning as yet.

Kindest regards,
Shauno

 

[Michael Bath]

Thanks for posting those photos James - lovely

Just had a report from Sercy of 3cm snow accumulation at Guyra in the past hour and a half. This matches the 3pm BoM obs of 0C, 2mm, snow.  You could see that one on radar.

Tamworth reported 2mm of precipitation after 1pm with the temp dropping to 3.4 (elev 400m). The hills around the southern Northern Tablelands and Upper Hunter seem to have copped a reasonable snowfall today.  The improved moisture travelled up from central VIC overnight and was not picked up well by the models.

[Richary]

Some pretty reports on the TV news tonight from around Orange with about 5cm of snow reported. If the cold conditions continue I wonder if I will spot any snow when I am down at Batemans Bay from Friday for a week. Some of those hills behind there get up over 1000 metres (and I am planning on taking the 4WD exploring if it isn't too wet).

[Harley Pearman]

The period 8 to 12 July is usually the coldest period of the year certainly for Sydney. Today 9 July 2008 lived up to this reputation. I have just done a fly around New South Wales and looked at numerous Maximum 3 pm temperatures from numerous BOM and AWS stations for common known places. Worth a post here and provides a snap shot of New South Wales for 9/7/2008.

Note:- These are the 3 pm, 6 hour maximums and not the dry readings.

Far west
Broken Hill 15 C, Cobar 12 C, Mildura 14 C, Tibooburra 15 C.

NW slopes
Barraba 9 C, Gunnedah 11 C, Tamworth 9 C

Central West Slopes
Coonabarabran 9 C, Cowra 9 C, Dubbo 10 c, Forbes 8 C

Riverina
Corowa 11 C, Hay 13 C, Narrandera 9 C

South West Slopes
Albury 11 C, Temora 7 C, Wagga Wagga 9 C

Northern Tablelands
Armidale 5 C (With snow showers), Inverell 10 C, Guyra 2 C (Snow).

Central Tablelands
Bathurst 8 C, Lithgow 6 C, Oberon 3 C (Snow showers), Orange 3 C (Snow fell in area).

PS - The post showing Oberon in snow are excellent. I have similar photos of snow in Oberon when I lived there back in 1995.

Southern Tablelands
Cooma 8 C, Goulburn 5 C

North Coast
Coffs Harbour 15 C, Grafton 16 C, Lismore 17 C

Hunter
Maitland 13 C, Scone 11 C

South Coast
Bega 13 C Moruya 11 C

Sydney - Temperatures reached the 13 to 14 C mark just prior to the cloud cover obscuring the sky.

The 3 pm checks showed Lismore AWS being the warmest place on 17C and the lowest minimum at -11.5 at Charlotte Pass.

Some minimums on the highlands to note too (Oberon -0.5 C, Orange 0 C, Armidale 0.2C, Braidwood -2.9 C, Cabramurra -4.3 C, Thredbo Top Station -7.1 C).

There was really no place in New South Wales that was warm.

Harley Pearman

[Michael Bath]

Some of the better non-Alpine snow from the 8-9 July cold pool event appear to be around southern parts of the Northern Tablelands. A large area of moisture that wrapped into Victoria Monday night moved NNE to NE during Tuesday and Tuesday night. The best totals reported come from Walcha 4mm, Uralla 5.2mm and Woolbrook 4mm all of which would have been snow during Wednesday. Showers also reached the Tenterfield area late in the afternoon, but only as snow on the higher ground around Mt Mackenzie. Guyra reported 2mm to 9am 10/7 - the same as the 3pm 9/7 reading so the 3cm of accumulated snow appears about right for there.

The next front is powering through VIC at present. Should be some more snow to low levels in VIC and SE NSW.

[Harley Pearman]

Not many may be aware of this, it was that cold in South east Australia or even Australia as a whole 9/7/2008 that not one large Australian town or city reached 30 degrees Celsius. The cold air mass appears to have had some impact on temperatures even into the tropics as well.

Places like Darwin which often receives 30 degree temperatures this time of the year topped out at 29 C at 3 pm 9/7/2008. Good news it reached 30 C today at 3 pm in Darwin.

The cold air appears to have surged well into northern Australia and temperatures seem to be lower than normal in many areas.

The warmest spot I could find in an Australian state on 9/7/2007 was a tiny place called Mardie (Western Australia) where it just reached 30 C. A place called Oenpelli in Arnhem land (Northern Territory) topped out on 33 C at 3 pm.

Other than at these two localities, no significant place, town or city reached 30 degrees anywhere that I could find.

This cold spell has had some impact on temperatures elsewhere on the continent too.

Harley Pearman