‘Giant’ hail warning for parts of Australia
Written by admin on October 18, 2024
Australians have been told to brace themselves, as severe thunderstorms, blistering winds and “giant” hail up to 5cm in diameter is anticipated to rip through the eastern part of the country.
Damaging wind gusts and heavy rain hit the southerly and easterly parts of Australia on Thursday night and Friday morning, honing in on South Australia, southerly parts of the Northern Territory and northwest Victoria.
It was a dangerously gusty evening, with strong and gusty winds reaching “destructive strength” in parts of South Australia and inland NSW overnight.
In SA, blistering winds reaching of 137km/h were recorded across Port Pirie, 130km/h in Roxby Downs and 113km/h in Tarcoola.
It was particularly wet for residents in SA, with a staggering 36mm of rainfall recorded in only an hour in Mount Horrocks, 119km north of Adelaide.
Other parts of the state were also smashed by rain, with 30-40mm falling in the Riverland and Mid North regions overnight.
Senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury explained the thunderstorms weren’t finished yet, with a risk of “large hail” and “heavy rain” expected to smash inland NSW on Friday.
A cold front and low pressure system will track across the southeastern states, with warm, humid and windy conditions continuing on the east coast, followed by clouds and rain.
“Warm, humid air ahead of the system creates the perfect condition for storms to develop,” Ms Bradbury said.
Residents in the NSW central and southwest slopes and southeastern Victoria have been told to brace for the most severe damage, with destructive wind speeds exceeding 125km/h and “giant” hail reaching 5cm in diameter and intense rainfall expected to smash the areas.
Thunderstorms are anticipated across Sydney, Illawarra and the Hunter regions on Friday, though they are not expected to be as severe as in other parts of the state.
Victorian residents can expect exceptionally strong thunderstorms throughout the day, particularly across its capital city.
Melbourne’s northern and eastern suburbs are expected to be hit the hardest, with the bureau warning of damaging wind gusts and intense rainfall that could be particularly hazardous, potentially leading to falling trees, power outages and dangerous driving conditions.
Such severe storms may also cause localised flash flooding and property damage due to damaging winds and large hail.
While rain isn’t likely to continue across the inland parts of Queensland and interior of the Northern Territory, there is still a high risk of thunderstorms throughout the day and damaging winds across southern Queensland.
Minor river rises are expected across parts of northern Tasmania and Victoria, with a potential flood warning to be issued in the coming days.
Good news is around the corner, though, with the gustily front expected to move east and directing the severe thunderstorms offshore. Showers are set to ease on Saturday, though residents can still anticipate southerly winds.
Temperatures will cool off over the next few days in southern Victoria, with mild conditions expected across the rest of the country.
