Topic: Sydney Water Spouts / Storms 17/5/2010

[TroyVR]

According to my lifeguard friends at Cronulla there was also another waterspout just off the national park. Unfortunetly i was at work and missed it all, Have been wanting to see a water spout for a long time now.



http://www.smh.com.au/environment/water-issues/waterspouts-whip-past-sydney-20100517-v8ci.html

Spectacular waterspouts are forming along the Sydney coast, as severe thunderstorms close in.

"The waterspouts have formed in thunderstorms just off the coast," said meteorologist Brett Dutschke of The Weather Company, which is owned by Fairfax Media.

"They happen almost every year, but sometimes they are too far off the coast to be spotted on land.

"But today there have been several seen close to the coast."

While the spouts look like mini-tornadoes, they are not as destructive, Mr Dutschke said.

"They can whip up fairly strong winds in a short space of time, but you have to be very close to them for that to happen.

"They are certainly strong enough to knock boats around and they have been known to sink some boats."

Meteorologist Martin Palmer, also of The Weather Company, said a severe storm warning was issued and more spouts would most likely develop on the eastern horizon as the day draws to a close.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Jane Golding said she could see the waterspouts from her office in Sydney.

Dangerous storms lurking off NSW coast

The bureau said severe thunderstorms were lurking off the NSW coast.

It issued a warning of severe thunderstorms and high winds potentially causing localised damage in Sydney, the Hunter and Illawarra regions later today.

The bureau said at 1pm that the storms were hovering out at sea but could cause damage to coastal areas if they swept west.

Wind speeds associated with them could reach 90km/h, it said.

The State Emergency Service has advised people to move cars away from trees and to stay indoors if the storms move inland.

[Harley Pearman]

Sydney rainfall 18 and 19 May 2010

Further to the waterspouts, heavy rain and coastal thunderstorms brought some impressive rainfalls to the coastal suburbs of Sydney Tuesday and Wednesday (18 and 19 May).

The heaviest falls as cumulative totals were 170 mm at Cronulla, 118 mm at Randwick, 109 mm at Rose Bay, 98 mm at Long Reef and 84 mm at Sydney Airport.

Very little of this penetrated to the inland suburbs. Light falls were recorded in the western suburbs of Sydney such as 10 mm at Blacktown, 4 mm at Liverpool, 2 mm at Richmond, 0.8 mm at Penrith, 0.4 mm at Badgerys Creek and 0.2 mm at Warragamba Dam (Source BOM 7 Day Rainfall Bulletin).

The main activity was strictly coastal. I noted the difference when driving to work Tuesday morning. Rainfalls at Blacktown were rather light but driving east the intensity increased and where I work at Auburn, rainfall was rather intense at times as the showers passed over. Looking at the Terrey Hills radar throughout the day, it appears that the showers and storms were training over specific localities (Train echo effect) and enhancing the rainfall totals especially over coastal Sydney.


Harley Pearman