wxblog 27/11/09 to 05/12/09
Saturday, December 5, 2009: NE NSW Chase
After enjoying several hours at the ASWA Xmas BBQ near Casino, Michael Bath and I joined forces, and headed towards Whiporie, north of Grafton. In 37C heat we watched a storm intensify from a few rain shafts to a severe thunderstorm as it tracked NE and NNE towards Lismore. We were right in it at one stage, and experienced severe winds, small hail and torrential rain. I watched one particuarly large branch fall to the side of the Summerland Way at one point. Later, more storms came through followed by a beautiful sunset... pics on the gallery here (there are 3 pages). Also a few more on the weatherzone thread.
Looking ahead: Storms expected in the region again tomorrow but mid/upper winds are light, meaning the storms will be either their best or stick to the ranges.
Friday, December 4, 2009: Stalled trough
A trough is moving up from SE Aus (and stall in our area) which will hopefully help spark some storms on the weekend. Notably, mid level temps (500s) may get down to as low as -14C in NE NSW on Saturday and if storms develop, they could potentially be nasty, with some big hail and severe winds. As usual this season, moisture is an issue, but at this point, there should be storms in SEQ, especially near and south of the border into NE NSW.
Monday, November 30, 2009: 131km/h gust with Double Island Point Storm
Today instability was high over much of the region, but moisture was far better to the north, and a supercell developed near Maryborough late morning. It side-swiped them with an 83km/h gust but a little while later, at 12.26pm, moved over the Double Island Point AWS with recorded gusts up to 131km/h! Luckily the storm continued on its track and went offshore. More storms developed in the area; while closer to Brisbane, showers developed in the Brisbane Valley and Gold Coast Hinterland but never reached any great heights.
I drove through the Browns Plains and Marsden areas today and saw plenty of branches and mostly small trees down. Apparently up to 100 houses were damaged, but it was lucky the storms were generally relatively small and fast moving.
I just uploaded a video of my storm experience at Lake Kurwongbah. I recommend you click on HQ for the better quality, and turn the sound up! Click on the link!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWEM3D7DcAs
Sunday, November 29, 2009: Gusty Storms
Numerous 'gusty' storms moved through the district today after a very uncomfortable day: Brisbane's minimum temp was 23.9C while the maximum of 34.8C occurred before 11am! Amberley reached 39C. First storms developed near Highvale and moved ESE across the northern suburbs, while others also moved through the southern suburbs, and later over the Sunshine Coast. A wind gust of 115km/h was recorded at "Inner Beacon" on Moreton Bay as the northern suburbs storm (the one in the first 3 photos) moved through. At least 30000 houses lost power, and there was substantial tree damage in the Deagon area - click here.
I had a pretty good day chasing many of these storms and I took the following pics:
Many more pics are here (2 pages).
Looking ahead: Monday the 30th may see some storms, but most likely isolated, unlike today.
Friday, November 27, 2009: Storms on the weekend?
Firstly, I took some shots of the city tonight - she was looking great! The rest of the pics are here.
Looking ahead: Saturday the 28th should see some storm activity. They should start off on the Downs and work their way towards the coast late in the day. I don't think they'll be super-intense (don't be expecting cricket ball hail) but hopefully they'll give us some rain. Looking further, Sunday is a touch and go day due to moisture issues (what else is new this season) while the following days should see some colder upper air, which will hopefuly cause a few more storms - more soon.
