Severe Weather, southern Australia 21/9 and 22/9/09

I would just like to share this with ATS members

Currently, the southern part of Australia is experiencing some of the most severe weather I have ever encountered. Due to a deep low pressure system, we have been expereincing severe winds, thunderstorms hail, flash flooding and in my area, dust storms (at the same time as rain too!). Wind gusts here are so strong, that if this were the tropics, the low pressure system would be called a cyclone or hurricane.

The wind gusts have been averaged at around 45 knots (approx 89kph), with wind gusts up to an incredible 70 knots (129km/h). Here at my station Woomera, we recorded our highest wind gust ever yesterday at 62 knots (115km/h). The dust has been going all day today, and according to another member, has actually travelled hundred of kilometers to Canberra!!!!!!!!

Here's a couple of sat images and the synoptic chart. I also provided links to the BOM warnings website, literally half of Australia has weather warning related to this one system! Notice you can see the dust storm on the visible satelite image

www.bom.gov.au...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f60aacd80679.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4abeea11c140.gif[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/7cdc2b2a4c5e.png[/atsimg]

Also if anyone has any images related to this.....please post them

Omega has some good images of the dust in Canberra on the below thread

www.belowtopsecret.com...

The dust has momentarily left Woomera but it look as though another is brewing on the horizon

Damn.

Well, good luck, and I hope you survive it intact.

So what do you presume to be the cause of this strangely severe weather, and does it have any larger implications?

Reporting some severe weather here in central Texas too. We have lightning flashing every .5 seconds approx. Never seen the likes of it before. Very beautiful. Funny how the most destructive things happen to be the most visually stunning. I could watch it all night.

Tell me about it... I got caught in the middle if it yesterday when I was visiting my parents in the Riverland. Pretty much the heaviest downpour I have seen since about '93. That and the town's stormwater packed up and left quite a few streets flooded. As well as the local high school and TAFE complex.

Looks like I am going to hit it again on the way back to Adelaide too. I just pray for no hail. I've only had this car a month!

Originally posted by BaronVonGodzilla
Damn.

Well, good luck, and I hope you survive it intact.

So what do you presume to be the cause of this strangely severe weather, and does it have any larger implications?

Dont know excatly why the low pressure system formed. Usually, these systems form down near the south pole, and in winter they tend to move upwards towards the south of the continent, to bring us cold weather and rain. This one is just a little further north than it should be

Its nice anyway, keeps me busy at work

I'm in Christchurch, New Zealand, and the day was starting off nice with sunshine and warm weather. At about lunch time some grey clouds came in from the south with rain, winds and thunder. The temperature has rapidly dropped and it's still raining right now.

Is the stormy weather we're getting here part of this Australian low or is it randomly coinciding with what you're getting over there? (We don't get thunder that often).

My Grandad was a chief meteorologist in his time, but he's since deteriorated so he doesn't really understand much weather related stuff these days

Edit: Just took some pics of an awesome rainbow that just appeared, I'll upload them.

Here's a good one:



If this weather isn't related at all, sorry for the thread hijack

[edit on 22/9/09 by dmorgan]

Thanks for the warning I will let friends know to secure items in their yards.

How far do you predict this storm to travel ?

Thanks

Ocker

[edit on 21/9/2009 by ocker]

Try living in Brisbane.

We've had several days in the low - mid 30's and even a 33c day in winter.
It feels exacly like summer in spring. I think we've had the hottest temps for this time of year in recorded history.

Would it really be classified as a cyclone? I thought a cyclone was based on sustained wind speeds, not gusts? I'm not certain what speeds though.
Anyway, looking like you guys across the ditch are getting some serious weather. We haven't had any thing too serious yet. At least we had good weather for the game in Wellington on Saturday... (rugby match between Oz and NZ for those who didn't know)

Also, by the looks of the synoptic chart, tassie's in for some serious swell.
for all the surfers over there.

Great photo, dmorgan! Thanks for posting it - I would love to see more photos too. Stay safe, everyone!!

That all looks pretty scary (even though it's upside down). The massive low with another smaller one nearby and that front off to the west. It's all boxed in by the two highs. Are the dotted lines projections? Is there any chance that the lows and front could converge? I've seen that happen in a tropic setting, it can get really nasty for days on end.

[edit on 9/22/2009 by Phage]

I've encountered that kind of weather in Arizona. Hail, dust, hurricane like winds, lightning, flash floods, the whole nine yards all in the same afternoon.
Dust storms so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and it actually pitted the paint on cars and winds that would pull out huge trees by the roots.

It's some pretty crazy stuff I know but, hang in there.

I live near the riverland also , hmm it didn't seem like to big a deal to me.
We've had strong wind like last evening quite often , the downpour was nice though , a little rain never goes astray
Pity it was moving so fast , the whole thing was over pretty quickly , glad I wasn't driving in it though .

reply to post by OzWeatherman

thank god for this thread because i've yet to see any mainstream anything dealing with this crazy shti, Its pouring outside my window right this moment, I had hoped the weather had settled down again but no luck, I live in the adelaide hills in S.A, anyway yesterday was insane, it was fckd.
I've lived here over a decade & never seen anything like it.
The thunder shook the house like crazy, the sky went dark like it does in tasmania, like really dark lol. the rain was full on, hail full on but the wind was insane. the power went out for 3-4 hours & because the phone lines (etsa utilities) were so jammed up there was a 15minute wait for info re: power failure in my area, and even then it took another hr before they actually knew about it...they said they were getting so many calls...hence 15 min delay...
it was COLD too, really cold.

Anyway until i saw this thread i felt scared & alone so thank you

The dust came the night before last, it got through the whole house, smells like clay, I thought it was the ducted air con, when we first moved here yonks ago the air con spat out that smell the first few uses, now realise it was the aforementioned dust storm. we had a dust 'something' bout half a year ago where red dusty sand paint looking stuff was covering the outdoor table in red sediment where the water pools from the rain had dried, the dust was in the rain basically. & red. but most freaky of all is that not only did my straight edge very typical mother smell the dust & we couldn't get rid of it even tho the house was shut up tight, she also heard all the helicopters I"VE been hearing lately, and i'm a nutbag lol.
but really honestly, over the gumeracha, lobethal, woodside, birdwood, mt.pleasant, kersbrook, forreston, and surrounding areas we've been getting helicopters, angry sounding ones, i.e. military spec, crusing over these towns for the last few months, at least a few times a week (that i notice) but oddly enough between the hours of 10pm & 3am...no really, i heard a military helicopter fly overhead at 2:30am the other morning & my mothers been seeing the big military vehicles, not ave trucks, not tanks, something in between, in big convoys, driving around the above mentioned areas, they're training for something. the army barracks are near woodside (oakbank) & some of these vehicles have 'L' plates up, learner drivers.

what are they preparing for?
why the sudden increase in activity+the sudden increase in marketing/ads?
and finally the 'out of no where' wierd weather.
I assumed the dust came from the deserts NW of S.Aust,
but maybe the helicopters have something to do with the weather too?

P.L.U.R.I
-B.M

edit:also like to add that several weeks ago I caught a mini-bus to town & as the busdriver changed down gears to go uphill, a gust of wind hit the front of the bus & stopped it dead in its tracks. 60-70km's to 0 in an instant.

and too OZtracized, its not a competition.
That said, EVERYWHERE in aus had record breaking high temp's this yr+last yr, brisbane isn't special in that regard, asides from perhaps being the capitol city of the most ignorant & rascist state in australia, 2nd only to the stupid rivalry between VIC & S.A, or Aus & NZ. anyone else (aussie) realise how fckn ig-nant all these rivalries & race-hate is/are?
I lived in QLD for a yr, also NSW, S.A & Tas, Tas had the whacky-est weather, NSW is boring & qld is hot & humid, the trop storms r cool, watching lightening strike the ocean from my stilted house is a buzz to say the least, but S.A has the worst highs & lows. not temp wise, but its just less pleasant. & living in the hills, u still need the jumper in the early hrs of the morning even in summer. but god help u if ur still wearing that jumper in 3 hrs time, you'll cook.

finally, the thunder yesterday was too intense to b natural. certainly not normal 4 here &unseen 4 10+yrs

[edit on 22/9/09 by B.Morrison]

reply to post by B.Morrison


Hi, I've not seen You around very much; I guess You cannot even make a thread yet...not enough posts. Well, I'm Sancho, and I saw You've only been around a month, so welcome I hope You, and Oz don't get blown away, or anything. I cannot hardy imagine weather as freakish as that. You guys down their in Oz have it rough between the weather, and critters.

I've not been around too many dust storms, but between Hurricanes in Central America, and some wicked weather up in the Northwest I've seen some sheeet.
Thanks Oz, and everyone for reporting in.

On a side note, I just found a baby rabbit lost in the dust storm. Had to clean dust out of its eyes, ears and nose.

Poor thing was coughing the whole time...but its all good, gave it some water and sent it home with the cleaners who will take care of it....

Crisis averted........

On Saturday there was some backburning going on in the Sydney west region. All the smoke in the afternoon gave the sun this lovely orange red colour. You could stare right at it without hurting your eyes.

reply to post by sanchoearlyjones


yes & no & thankyou. nice to meet u sancho.

I can post threads, but I waiting to post a really freakin good one which is evolving from a simple 432hz expose, to a multi pronged theory of everything.

the weather is bad, but i believe (sadly) that the melb freak fire was manufactured. there were interesting mistakes made throughout the whole thing. somehow no one was informed that the oil in eucalyptus trees (which are freakin everywhere in aust) blow up like grenades when set on fire.

the fire moved too quickly to be natural, however this sadly could have been natural but terrible due to the ignorance of us whiteys re: aboriginal back burning methods. honestly the abbos looked after this place for thousand of yrs before we got here, then we get here & # up the back burning laws, ignore the indigenous, breed them into us, destroy their culture, expose them to drugs & alcohol, breed a culture of junkies & criminals & then continue to slander them. no they don't suit modern society, granted, but we were the idiots that FORCED them to join us. they suit the lifestyle they lived BEFORE we got here, and the ones out bush know this & tell their young NOT to go to the city or they're fckd.

anyway yeah bad weather but USA got it worst with all the wind+water stuff. your cali fire was a joke tho, no offence but your media spun that to be as massive as our fire was, at least the usa media we got on our sets.
also noticed barrack had nothing to say whatsoever about it, most other leaders at least made a phone call or msg of sympathy. what a dick.

and the critters are no big deal. we grew up with them. its like the u tube videos of asian kids riding anacondas (pets) or indian babies wrestling with de-fanged cobras (pets) its our conditioning more than anything else. that said, big arse spider in my bed the other week, spider on leg this week, spiders here spiders there spiders everywhere...

oh # but i forgot: @OzWeatherman, i see signs in nature, but never clouds. the other month i looked up to see a very detailed & perfectly formed rabbit cloud heading straight for the open jaws of a croc/dragon cloud, I was going to mention it previous post then failed to see relevance, but there it is, u saved the rabbit, this is where i'm meant to be, for now anyway, the good thing with signs is their meanings evolve as ur life unfolds & your understanding increase.

P.L.U.R.I
-B.M

[edit on 22/9/09 by B.Morrison]

[edit on 22/9/09 by B.Morrison]

Originally posted by ocker
Thanks for the warning I will let friends know to secure items in their yards.

How far do you predict this storm to travel ?

Thanks

Ocker

[edit on 21/9/2009 by ocker]

Check the weather bureaus website for an official forecast

Personally, all I can say is that it will affect Victoria, NSW and Tassie in the next few days....depending on wether or not it will weaken