Topic: NSW & QLD Storms: 13 - 15 October 2008

[David C]

Monday:  Southwest slopes
Tuesday: Central Tablelands, Central West Slopes & Hunter Valley

Despite progging quite impressive instability on both days, the GFS forecast soundings are all rain traces, fortunately for the farmers / unfortunately for anyone wanting to photograph isolated storms. This am's Wagga sounding largely verifies GFS. I can see that cloud band thickening and encroaching on the southwest slopes at the moment.

Given that the thermodynamic and kinematic environment would appear to support updraft rotation, outflow dominant strong to severe storms are still possible despite the significant 'con' listed above.

Will be interesting to watch this situation evolve through the afternoon.

[Shaun Galman]

Hi guys,

Sure is a large storm/s hitting (or about to hit) the Wagga region currently. Seems to be across the Tumut / Gundagai area now and heading for Cooma.

There's also a trough with a small active build line moving towards the NW slopes and plains (and central west) out around the mid Upper Western (currently at Bourke) so I will be watching things closely this afternoon/evening. The temps seem to be more in favour today than they were during the storm on Friday evening where it was only hovering around 25ºc. It's currently 32.6ºc, DP's are at 13.3 and humidity is 36%. Not real impressive but I would imagine that will change as the trough and subsequent storm line approaches.

Take care guys,
Shauno

 

[Harley Pearman]

A narrow squall line containing numerous thunderstorm cells developed just to the west of a line from Albury to Urana and NW to about Narrandera from 1 pm today and tracked east at speed.

While it looked impressive from a radar perspective, it did not deliver much rain at all. One of these cells moved across Albury and dropped a meagre 2.4 mm of rain. Another cell passed over Wagga Wagga and dropped 1 mm of rain. Rainfall looks rather scant. Some rainfall totals further east on the slopes managed around the 7 mm range.

Plenty of lightning in it but scant rainfall. Storms had mostly cleared from this region after 2 pm.

At the time I looked, there was a severe thunderstorm warning on it but limited to wind gusts.

Not sure if it was the same cluster or not or a new cluster, I was observing further thunderstorm activity west of Batemans Bay and towards the Canberra region at around 5 pm. This cluster was warned for damaging wind gusts as well. Storm activity was more extensive and rainfalls a little higher in the 10 to 15 mm range in many areas near Canberra and Braidwood.

I noted that a wind gust of 107 km / h was recorded at Montague Island from a thunderstorm cell. When I last looked the system was passing through the Batemans Bay region and storms were still warned for winds but this time for hail. I am not sure whether actual hail falls have been observed as I write this as much of the activity has been over rural areas and sometimes inaccessible areas.

Harley Pearman

[dann weatherhead]

I am not sure if it is just me - but I can't remember the last time I saw a line of storms/band of rain moving NE'ish south of Sydney. These features often form over Sydney and drift northward but its the first time for a long time we have seen activity to the south.

[Michael Bath]

Central and Northwest Slopes and Plains of NSW are the place to be atm. Quite a significant cell has just passed through Coonabarabran.


BoM warning:

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING for FLASH FLOODING, LARGE HAILSTONES and DAMAGING WIND

For people in the NORTH WEST PLAINS and parts of the NORTH WEST SLOPES, CENTRAL WEST SLOPES, CENTRAL WEST PLAINS and UPPER WESTERN Forecast Districts.

Issued at 1:01 pm Tuesday, 14 October 2008.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce very heavy rainfall, flash flooding, large hailstones and damaging winds in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Gunnedah, Moree, Narrabri, Walgett, Coonabarabran and Coonamble.

[James]

That cell you mentioned MB is now past Gunnedah and looks to be veering a bit more to the left. Would love to be out there watching it. The vis sat pic looks spectacular!

[Michael Bath]

Jimmy was in it near Gunnedah but has had to let it continue NE. It was a violent storm with lots of hail and base rotation. He's aiming for the next one coming up on a similar path, hoping it will continue to Boggabri.

I also got a report of 1-1.5cm sized hail from Quambone west of Coonamble.

[James]

Jimmy was in it near Gunnedah but has had to let it continue NE. It was a violent storm with lots of hail and base rotation. He's aiming for the next one coming up on a similar path, hoping it will continue to Boggabri.

I also got a report of 1-1.5cm sized hail from Quambone west of Coonamble.

What a Honeymoon, mine was nothing like that   I'm glad to hear JD was out there, can't wait to see the pics and/or video. It's a shame he had to let it go NE however the roads aren't exactly helpful out there.

Another two interesting looking cells on radar heading for a collision between Walgett and Coonamble.

James

[David C]

Jimmy was in it near Gunnedah but has had to let it continue NE. It was a violent storm with lots of hail and base rotation. He's aiming for the next one coming up on a similar path, hoping it will continue to Boggabri.

I also got a report of 1-1.5cm sized hail from Quambone west of Coonamble.

What a Honeymoon, mine was nothing like that  

James

Indeed what a honeymoon James - he left the wife at home for this one!! Nice storm, no nagging, doesnt get much better than that!! j/k

[David Brodrick]

As soon as I saw the right-moving Walgett cell and the other cell on a collision course I jumped in the car. By the time I got to Pilliga the cells had already interacted a little further west. There was a lot of outflow by this stage and there wasn't much to photograph by the time I got there but I snapped a few photos with my phone of a small rain-free base (not sure which remnant) which I haven't offloaded yet.

The Boggabri storm has just dumped 31mm in 3/4 hour with rain continuing to fall.

[Shaun Galman]

Hi guys,
Upper Western NSW 14th Oct. 2008 Storm Report

Oh boy, what an afternoon we've just been through!
Started out as a gorgeous cell sitting around 40k's to our west at 3pm-ish. This cell had a real nice shelf for a period, a very predominant green tinge (which I haven't seen out here in a few years now!) and cannoning CG everywhere! The power has only just come back on now due to a transformer being violently hit up the end of my street somewhere, and the resulting thunder CRACK was very loud! I haven't seen torrential rain accompanied by so many CG for a couple years so this season is definitely looking very good so far!
I made a bad mistake by not taking my tripod (I should've known better!) so I had barely a chance of capturing any CG firing off the front? I did however catch one, though blurred to buggery due to me just hand-holding and hitting the shutter as I saw the lightning. I will still post this shot though. We had 12mm in 12minutes from this beast! What did puzzle me a little is that the winds were not as bad as I would have thought, particularly looking at it during it's mature stage just before hitting town? The lightning and rain more than made up for this supposed lacking wind!

The subsequent 4 other cells back building behind this main front were also pretty severe with torrential rain, small pea-sized hail (falling here in the 3rd cell) and numerous fierce CG. There were some real nice bases carried by these cells that became outflow dominant pretty quickly and unleashed the rain. Some nice partial mamatus across the anvils here and there also.

Looking out my window to the NE I can see the backbuilding still taking place with, gorgeously sunset lit, pretty strong updrafts still towering.

I'll post the pictures tonight if I can.

Ahh.. I have sorely missed days like this. It's been too long between drinks!
By drinks I mean severe weather lol  

As soon as I saw the right-moving Walgett cell and the other cell on a collision course I jumped in the car. By the time I got to Pilliga the cells had already interacted a little further west. There was a lot of outflow by this stage and there wasn't much to photograph by the time I got there but I snapped a few photos with my phone of a small rain-free base (not sure which remnant) which I haven't offloaded yet.

The Boggabri storm has just dumped 31mm in 3/4 hour with rain continuing to fall.

Hi David: Could this right mover have been possibly supercellular for a period? By the look of our fist storm at 3pm I would have thought it totally possible given the right conditions? Very interesting.
Kindest regards,
Shauno

[Michael Bath]

VIS satpic loop for today: - 14th October - one of those particularly impressive Central and Northwest Slopes and Plains days.

---> satpic loop <---





Looking forward to seeing everyone's photos

[Jason(pato)]

Gday All,

Been a while since I've had anything to post, so I'll put up a pic of an updraft nicely illuminated by the setting sun. This cell is heading in our general direction so I might have something more noteworthy to post later. Looking forward to your pics Shauno looked like there was plenty of CG action in your area today.



Cheers Jason

[Richary]

This system also produced storms up into Central Queensland from other warnings and the radar so it might be worth expanding this thread, though nobody was probably there to get any photos.

Not sure if it is the same system responsible but storms are forecast for Brisbane tomorrow afternoon (I will be up there for a day trip with the flight back at 1845 Qld time so will take the camera with me). Made sure I booked a window seat for the return flight in case there is anything to photo on the way.

[David Brodrick]

Hi David: Could this right mover have been possibly supercellular for a period? By the look of our fist storm at 3pm I would have thought it totally possible given the right conditions? Very interesting.

Hi Shaun,
The whole sky was pretty much just grey by the time I got close to the action near Pilliga around 4:15pm, so I didn't see anything to suggest the right-mover was supercellular (or that it wasn't).

However it had an extremely promising RADAR signature which is what prompted me to go for a drive in the first place. And the big Coonabarabran tornado on 20th Jan 2005 apparently arose where two storms began to interact so when I saw the two cells heading for each other I couldn't help but jump in the car. But it was too little too late.

Can't wait to see your stills from the Ridge, I only had my phone.
Cheers,
  Dave