Australian Severe Weather Forum

Hi all, well I finally got a storm in Melbourne (the few that we've had this year I've been unable to chase or I've been out of the state!).  I monitored the situation from my office in the city during the day with a view to heading either Southwest to Geelong or Southeast to Mornington in a desperate attempt at intercepting some activity.  By 5pm some small storms developed further south over Lorne and a few strikes appeared on lightning tracker.  This wasn't going to be my storm however as it moved out to sea.  By 6.30pm I was striking a sad and lonely figure at work, sitting in front of my pc with the BOM and weatherzone up on screen.  Then it started to get more interesting.  Several cells moving east from Ballarat and further west began to converge and correct their direction toward Melbourne!  I did a quick dash up to L28 in the building and had a great view between the city buildings of a nice dark cell with a hint of green moving across Port Phillip Bay.  There were distinct lowerings looking menacing over the bay so off I raced to the car.  I decided to head Sth West along the beach roads where I could see the storm approaching land and I could at least go East if need be.  On my way It occured to me that Albert Park Lake (Grand Prix circuit) would be a perfect viewing spot - and that's where I got these pics   As the front arrived it brought with it a fantastic gust that lead to wind damage around Melbourne.  As the pics show there was a pronounced and persistent lowering (no rotation that I saw) that moved with the storm over the lake and beyond.  Look at the last pic and you will see a weak funnel protruding down from the lowering.  Speaking to a friend who lived 10mins away in the path of the storm he too could see a funnel from this lowering so it persisted for a few minutes after I lost sight of it.

Guys, any comments or explanations for any of the storm features in my pics are welcome!  Enjoy the pics cos I know I enjoyed the storm (albeit a brief one).

Hi Brad,

No wonder you were excited! Very nice storm - I like the contrast and colours as well! Welcome rainfall has quite often occurred this time of the year for Melbourne and eastern Victoria.

Good stuff.

Regards,

Jimmy Deguara

Lovely photos Brad - I particularly like the one framed by the two palms.

Here is the radar loop, pity a couple of frames were missing from the archives. Melb 128km scale 0500 - 1100z:

http://australiasevereweather.com/storm_news/2006/radar/200612221100.gif

Having felt the copious moist enviroment on thursday evening, i felt that with the synoptic lifting there might be some isolated cells on the Friday with the passage of the frontal system.
About 6:30pm in the evening after looking at the BOM and anything else i could get my hands on, a friend called me and mentioned something about a gust front with roll cloud.

Intially only went a short distance from home to one of my favourite viewing locations, and then stayed just ahead of the storms getting some shots. I may have lost some shots due to a film accident but definitely a highly rating frontal passage for the year.

Ended up chasing along the Maroondah Hwy all the way out to Healsville, where the gust front lost intensity in the face of falling temperature contrast and resolved into a stratocumulus body. Got absolutely pounded out near Ferntree Gully by strong cell just behind the gust front after getting stuck in traffic lights(hasnt anyone informed storms about the road rules). Extremely heavy rainfall and small hail gave my car a much needed wash. According to a friend who was chasing further south( who i converged with) the back end just fell out of the cloud. Further out on the return trip ran into intensely heavy rain, such that it was impossible to drive. Definitely a rate well in excess of 50mm/hr. Over Doncaster and near where i live rainfall of 35mm was recorded in half an hour from an isolated cell.

All in all a very fun and much needed chase.

Mileage: 142km
Film Shot: 26 SLR + 20 55mm.
Will Post photos when i get them developed.

thanks Michael.  I was watching the early part of that loop live at my office before heading off, but its good to see the radar image of the front as it pushed through Melbourne.  The action was over pretty quickly but boy did the gust hit hard.

Here are a few other pics from this storm:

Some photos from a friends apartment in Toorak looking towards the city and the final one looking south. Took a few friends "storm chasing" for this one

Minor notes:

- Shelf cloud/precip interface had a weak rotor for approximately 5 minutes as it crossed over

- The radar loop previously posted shows that these images coincide with the northen end of the squall gusting out as it crosses into the CBD area. I noted a similar behavious on a minor sqaull some weeks before, possibly an UHI effect (reduced moisture, stronger evap = gust out) but thats pure speculation, probably coincidence.

- 60-80km/hr winds as it crossed - minor leaf, small branch damage

- the reported trees down in Malvern were already down before the squall hit

Hi lp, great to see some pics of this storm from a slightly different perspective.  I was at Albert Park (obviously from the pics) and then followed the storm as it headed your way in Toorak.  I concur with your comment about a weak rotor and you can even see a weak funnel in one of my pics which I watched for about 1min as it crossed the lake and left me behind!  A friend of mine then confirmed he could see it approaching Malvern a few mins later but this is hearsay I guess.

If only we had a bit more action down here 

Regards,
Brad.