Batten Down the Hatches - Australia wide

[D4D]

Have some rain...

http://www.news.com.au/national/brisbane-severe-storms-and-flash-flooding-cause-chaos/story-fncynjr2-1227128722688

[Rumpig]

Have some rain...

http://www.news.com.au/national/brisbane-severe-storms-and-flash-flooding-cause-chaos/story-fncynjr2-1227128722688

The city received 55mm of rain in less than an hour, well over half the monthly average. Some suburbs reportedly received as much as 100m, with the highest official recording 87mm at Archerfield in the city's south.

we live a few minutes away from Archerfield...absolutely bucketed down here for an hour this arvo. Beaudesert rd was a car park pretty much due to the flooding of it, down to one lane either way at best in each direction at Rocklea outside the old Toyota 4X4XMore location. Saw a couple of vehicles floating in the water on the service roads there, bobbing up and down as bow waves hit them when a vehicle went past. Below are some pics i took of Beaudesert Rd this arvo, i wanted to go elsewhere to take more pics, but the streets about the area were a traffic jam due to Beaudesert rd being flooded

[oldmate]

Good pics mal, we missed most of it today

[scarpsD40]

Good pics mal, we missed most of it today

drove into it heading into Bundy this afternoon. Local told me 35mm in 1/2hour. All clear now.

[Rumpig]

drove into it heading into Bundy this afternoon. Local told me 35mm in 1/2hour. All clear now.

at one stage this afternoon Archerfield Airport recorded 52.2mm falling in 17 minutes (3:57pm to 4:14pm)! which works out at 184mm / hr 

[Redcherokee]

The whole of NSW and the ACT is really copping it tonight.  Unusual to see a storm warning that covers almost the whole state.

Apparently an F0 Tornado hit the ground near Bundanoon.

Just lost power twice, but luckily has come back.    Lots of red and black stuff headed our way...

[Bird]

how many days in a row above 40

In a town regarded as one of the world's hottest, Marble Bar locals are still reminded to take care as the mercury hit 48 degrees Celsius on Monday.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Neil Bennett said the temperature of the Pilbara town has been hovering around the mid to low 40s since December 1.

"It's just really hot... it's a low intensity one but there's still a heatwave forecast for up there," he said.

He said although it may seem obvious, people need to be cautious.

"People may think well, a heatwave forecast in the Pilbara, what value is that because it is always hot.

"But there are things that happen to people during those heatwaves if they're not careful, if they don't take precautions."

Thomas Fox, owner of the Iron Clad Hotel in Marble Bar, said it's important to remember basic survival strategies when it gets hot.

"I don't find myself stranded in the desert without water because you will die," he said.

Mr Fox also offered advice for others living in cooler parts of the country who like to complain about the heat.

"Next time it's 40 degrees in Perth, turn your heater on instead of your air conditioner and you will know what it's like here," he said.

Marble Bar holds the world record for the most consecutive days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, about 37.8 degrees Celsius, breaching the mark for 160 days.

Jessie Huang, a Taiwanese backpacker, travelled to Marble Bar to get a taste of the Australian outback.

"It's pretty warm," she said.

It looks like there's little reprieve for people in Marble Bar with temperatures expected to stay in the 40s for the rest of the week.

Mr Bennett said it could be a dangerous time.

"There is a lot of scientific evidence out there that described a heatwave as a silent killer," he said.

He said certain people in the community need more attention than others
http://www.theleader.com.au/story/2750927/heatwave-warnings-for-marble-bar-the-worlds-hottest-town/?cs=12

[scarpsD40]

Some hairy weather heading for the Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong areas today.

[scarpsD40]

WA & NT

[speewa158]

  Can we book the kayaking down the Todd for the next few days or so         

[Bird]

WA's turn

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/severe-wa-cyclone-looms-bom-warns-of-low-forming-in-the-indian-ocean-20150309-13zd4s.html

[muzza01]

Stalling. Could dump some decent rain in the Far North.

[bentnose]

The best of wishes to all far north queenslanders with the latest cyclone heading your direction.
Stay out of the water

[muzza01]

Well we had 400mm over a couple of days last week; lets just hope that all we get is more rain and no blow.

[scarpsD40]

Man, someone up in central NSW upset the weather Gods. Reading stories of 17,000 homes without power, trees down and roads flooded. Hope everyone safe and ok.

[speewa158]

They all washed the car & planned a Swaggers Catch up , that ort to do it           

[crappsy]

Hope all are staying safe and dry in and around Newcastle central coast area today.

[gclan]

Kids couldn't get to school. No power or phone, but the good old generator is going flat out, and I've got my cuppa.

We haven't had hot water since Easter either and have been showering with the $24 Big W special in a bucket, so it's just like we're camping

[Bird]

Kids couldn't get to school. No power or phone, but the good old generator is going flat out, and I've got my cuppa.

We haven't had hot water since Easter either and have been showering with the $24 Big W special in a bucket, so it's just like we're camping

where are you?? on the moon?

[plusnq]

Take care everyone

[Terry W4]

Almost like winter here in the ACT - gale force winds for past 3 days and dusting of snow in the alps and Brindies. Top temp each day about 12-14.

[Bird]

Waves off Manly 'reached 11.2 metres'

Manly Hydraulics Laboratory has a waverider buoy about 12 kilometres off the coast of Manly.

This chart shows the maximum wave (represented by the green line) goes way off chart at about 8pm on Monday. It hasn't come down yet. ?

[Bird]

'Many people without power until Wednesday'

Ausgrid now says there are 180,000 homes and businesses without power across Sydney, the Central Coast and Hunter.

More reports are expected to come in throughout the morning as the extent of the damage becomes known.

Ausgrid has warned that "many" customers may not have their power restored until Wednesday.

"Residents are asked to check on elderly neighbours, and customers who rely on power for medical equipment are strongly urged to check their battery supply and act on their back up plan," Ausgrid said in a statement.

Here's a break-down of where the power outages have occurred:
•Newcastle, the Hunter, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens: 70,000 customers
•Central Coast: 70,000 customers
•Sydney: 40,000 customers

[Bird]

NBN Television has just posted online some incredible footage, sent to them from a viewer, which apparently shows a house in Dungog, in the upper Hunter region, being swept away in the storm.

Dungog has recorded its heaviest rainfall totals in over 100 years of records, with 312mm of rain falling in the 24 hours until 9am on Tuesday.

https://youtu.be/EQQ8D2bDvBA

Aside from raincoats, woollens are coming in handy in Sydney. Monday's maximum of 17.2 degrees in Sydney made it the coolest April day in seven years.

Tuesday may struggle to reach even that, with a top so far of just 15.5 degrees at 8.48am.

Meantime, Paterson received 242.6mm if rain in the s24 hours until 9am on Tuesday, its highest daily rainfall ib records going back to 1967, Agata Imielska, a senior climatologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said.

?Williamtown recorded its wettest April and autumn day, with 155.6mm. The tally was the town's third-highest rainfall for any month in records going back to 1942, she said.


Second house has floats away in floods

Tianna Brien knew it was raining hard, but she wasn't quite ready for a house to float past her Toronto home during her morning coffee, reports the Newcastle Herald.

The house floated quickly along the Lake Macquarie shore in a torrent of flood water about 6.30am on Tuesday.

"I thought it was a boat or something," Ms Brien said.

"It just looks like half a house."
`

[Mobi]

Had the hardtop booked in for some work to be done on it at Morisset, so headed up yesterday to drop it off the this morning. The weather was terrible, got very little sleep overnight due to the wind and rain(100 mils overnight). Trees down everywhere this morning, dropped the hardtop off and headed home. Not a fun trip in either direction, feel quite sorry for all the people up there. So take care and stay safe.



Peter