Perilous
Times and Climate Change
Australia: Wild storms strike Canberra and NSW as more wild
weather to come
By Alison Rehn
The Daily Telegraph
November 30, 2011 10:10AM
WILD storms have battered Canberra and parts of New South Wales,
dumping more than 100mm of rain near one popular small town - and
with the promise of more to come.
Canberrans were last night treated to one of the most spectacular
lightning shows in decades, which played out across the city's
skies from around 5pm until the early hours of the morning.
Around 30-45mm of rain fell across Canberra suburbs, but Mount
View, near Braidwood in southern NSW, was hammered with 117mm of
rain.
It was a story of contrasts however - 90 minutes up the road at
Goulburn, just 3mm of rain fell, while at Cooma, two hours south
of Braidwood, only 10mm of rain was recorded.
Senior meteorologist at the ACT Bureau of Meteorology, Sean
Carson, said storms hit the national capital and southern NSW in
waves.
He said a trough over central NSW built up in yesterday's heat and
humidity, fuelling the storms.
More wild weather is forecast to hit Canberra in the next "six to
nine hours'', he said, before conditions stabilise.
"There are no more thunderstorms forecast for the near future,''
Mr Carson said.
Canberra's southern suburbs have been awash with 190mm of rain in
November, while the airport has recorded 130mm. The monthly
rainfall average for Canberra is 60mm.
Mr Carson attributed the wet weather to another La Nina event, and
recalled last summer's heavy rainfall, which resulted in the
flooding of Queanbeyan.
Canberra’s first week of summer is expected to be mild, with below
average temperatures forecast.