Wild Canberra weather

[matt]

Had some fierce weather tear through the ACT overnight.

We've had a few solid downpours in the last few weeks, associated with some very intense weather cells.

Last night's was pretty scary stuff.

Our city centre (Civic) appears to have copped the worst of it. Quite a number of buildings flooded and closed down for the day today.

A friend of mine sent me some amazing pics of the hail which fell in the city centre.

Here's 2 of them.

[Ric]

Hi Matt, It was pretty awesome last night but we didn't get any hail just a great light show and heavy rain, hope you were safe out your way.
A mate of mine who works at Tidbinbilla tracking station said that they copped it as well with some fences knocked down and some flash flooding as well.

Cheers

[matt]

Hi Ric.

Yeah. We were safe. We live in Rivett, about 12ks out from the city. We received plenty of rain, lightning and thunder, but no hail.

I had the most amazing night. I went to bed about 11-30pm, and then for some reason woke around 3am.

I thought I'd get up to see if the sky was clear and if so, quickly set up the 9.25 for a run at Jupiter :screwy:

Anyway... it wasn't too clear. I could make out a fair bit of cloud to the east and stood there for a while to take in the small portions of sky which were clear... and then baaaaammmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lightning lit up this enormous cloud mass to the east and it was just the most amazing sight. It was one giant billowing cumulous-type cloud which seemed to climb for miles straight up. Just this incredible towering monster with all those bumps and billowing nodes that cumulous are known for.

But to see it lit up from within, against a black backdrop, with all its structure so clearly visible ... it was truly awesome and frightening.

I stood there for a good 20 minutes. Even woke the girlfriend to have a look, so sure was I that she would also be amazed. Luckily (for me) she was:whistle:

[Ric]

Hi Matt, I had actually set up the 12" under clear skies early in the evening.
I went in and finished my cup of tea and went back out to start the alignment and in five minutes it had turned black and there was lightning coming in from the east.
What occured next was the quickest tear down and pack up in history, less than 5 minutes I reckon. :lol:

Cheers

[Ric]

Hi Matt, a mate just sent me some images of the storm cell when it was over Yass last night, amazing stuff

Cheers

[matt]

Wow!!!!

They look a lot like the 3am "monster" I've described:scared:

Great pics. Thanks for sharing, Ric:thumbsup:

[DobDobDob]

The first image is awesome, and did you notice that despite everything, four stars are still clearly visible :)

[matt]

Hi Ron

That's what made it all the more dramatic.

The storm cloud "silhouetted" ghostly against the perfect inky black backdrop.

It was truly amazing. Otherwordly, almost

[Ric]

That was the weirdest part Ron, early in the evening literally half the sky was clear as anything with Orion in full view and the other half was going crazy.

Very strange weather indeed.

[DobDobDob]

I agree with you, it's a truly amazing image, I wish I would have actually been standing outside experiencing it first hand.

[ving]

campbelltown just copped your hailstorm :)

[Ric]

Hope everyone and everything is alright Ving.

Cheers

[ving]

its just started. i am at work in rockdale so i am missing it... no doubt cheryls gunna need clean undies soon tho. she hates storms. the stones are small aparently. :)

[DobDobDob]

It's raining at Prospect as I type.

[ving]

latest update from home....

ITS BUCKETING DOWN!!!!!!!!!!1

[erick]

Photo from ABC news website. :eyepop:

[matt]

Where was the pic taken, Erick?

[Omaroo]

The local shopping centre near Ving and myself had its roof partially collapse in this afternoon's session. Not bad after Campbelltown Mall's roof collapsed just a couple of weeks ago in our last little episode with nasty weather......

[casstony]

Morwell had about 65mm in a few hours last night - first decent rain we've had for a very long time. Further east in Vic. had higher falls. Great to see widely distributed rain.

[Astroman]

:( Lucky *******s

[fringe_dweller]

geez you peeps in nsw/sids have a lot of eventfull weather!! :eyepop: makes ours seem rather tame :thumbsup:

[CoombellKid]

Ric,

Your mates name doesn't happen to be Guy Bennett. Looks like he got the
third one in the Sydney Morning Herald

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/storms-pelt-sydney/2007/02/28/1172338659496.html



regards,CS

[Ric]

Hi Rob, they were sent to me by my mate Bret and they were sent to him. I'll have to check with him as to his friends name, they were taken at Yass which is about 40 km from Canberra. I'm pretty sure it's the same picture by the looks of it

Cheers

[davidpretorius]

scary weather there in the capital there matt, great pics ric

[Phil]

Hi Ric where did you take those photos I just seen one on win news Rockhamtompton that looked the same.

[Ric]

Hi Phil, I didn't take them, a mate sent them to me and they were sent to him.

Cheers

[jjjnettie]

Wow, great pictures.
I hope every one kept safe and there wasn't too much damage.

[erick]

Sorry Matt - it doesn't say:-

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1859299.htm

[ving]

well I got home last night expecting... well a bit of wetness. all the creeks were overflowing, apparently our road was covered with 1/2 a foot of water, the council was out for ages scraping mud and debris off all the roads, our pool has overflown again!, cheryls bonsai collection needs repotting cause all teh soil was washed out of them, our local shops are closed (probably flooded out), the pavers in the backyard have been undermined and need to be reset as the now wobble everywhere, apparently the backyard flooded so bad that 2 more cm and we'd have had water pouring into the kitchen, etc.... i am sure you got the idea. one person 2 suburbs away got struck buy lightning, and finally 3 kids have been washed down drains :eek:

all from about 2 hrs of rain.

[Omaroo]

Uhm... you didn't hear that our local shopping centres' roof caved in? It was on the news!

Also - down our way - Menangle: a local school's car park was 8 metres under water, which caused 35 cars to completely submerge and wash down river to block the storm water drain. A bus also disappeared.

Canberra - you got nothing! :P

[ving]

were you in it chris? I heard it was a real doosey!!! :eek:

cheryl just about pooped her pants! (tmi).

yeah i heard about the rosemeadow shops. the chemists roof caved in! I also heard about menangles probs... (i did type "etc" :P)

gee i wish i had been there! i love huge storms!!! :D
rockdales rain was pathetic :(

[matt]

Err.... you might wanna check out the damage done to the ANU and our major shopping centre in the city:whistle:

I believe the hail here was over a metre deep in some areas. Enough to see cars bogged!

Quite a large number of schools closed due to damage. (The kids are lovin' it):lol:

An entire CBD just about shut down.

[ving]

frozen water? pftt! like thats dangerous! :P

hehe

[matt]

Mate.

We had frozen and liquid forms. Take your pick.

Any prefered flavour? I hear you softies around Campbelltown like yours in peach?:lol: :lol:

[ving]

:lol:
not much for peach myself... i like lime, its bitey! ;)

[matt]

Bet you'd like a straw, though?:rofl:

[ving]

yeah a straw would be good thanks...

wont pass one to you canberra peeps... that would be silly. you cant eat fairy floss with a straw! :P

:lol:

[iceman]

Anyone got pictures of the campbelltown deluge? Sounded great! :)

[ving]

nah sorry... Rebecca took 2 snaps thru the flyscreen door but you cant see much :lol:

[ving]

ok mike, took some pics and left a thread in the photography section....

water level had dropped considerably when i got there tho.

[Ric]

Hey Rob, an update to the storm cell photo's.
They were sent to my mate by his neice, they were sent to her by a friend who works for the Canberra Times newspaper and theygot them from the photographer who took them from his/her front porch. A bit closer but still none the wiser :lol:

Cheers

[matt]

Ric

I saw the same pics which were in my original post pop up in the Times too yesterday.

There was an article on the back page about how just about everyone in Canberra had received those pics by e-mail by day's end.

Talk about your classic e-mail wildfire!!!!!!!!!

[Ric]

Not wrong Matt, I got them from my mate as I said and he lives in Mudgeeraba in Qld, as you say "a classic wildfire"

Cheers