A Tasman Sea low, exhibiting every characteristic of a tropical cyclone apart from having a tropical origin, slammed into the NSW North Coast late this afternoon causing widespread wind damage and torrential rain, dramatically worsening an already tense flood situation. The depression formed in the northern Tasman Sea at around 30°S last Sunday morning, and has drifted slowly but steadily W to WNW since then.
The low, with a distinct eye visible on satellite and radar images, crossed the coast near Ballina around 6pm, dropping the pressure at the airport to 992.5hPa. It then moved slowly north close to the coast before moving into SE Qld. Because it has been so slow moving, the low has had time to entrain copious amounts of warm, humid, tropical air down its eastern flank. This, coupled with strong divergence, or outflow, aloft and high vorticity, or rotation imparted by the surrounding atmosphere, at lower levels, has set the scene for a major east coast flood event.
Squally, galeforce winds reached cyclonic speeds, with Evans Head automatic weather station, 30km south of Ballina, recording a top gust of 139km/h at 5.15pm. Around 100 buildings at Yamba, 60km south of Ballina, were damaged, and State Emergency Services attended 350 calls for roof damage and downed trees in the North Coast area. Large trees were snapped off or uprooted near the coast, where the winds were strongest, and 70 power lines were cut, blacking out over 10,000 homes between Kempsey and Ballina. SES advised against all non-essential road travel in the Lismore area because of the extensive storm damage, and the severe winds made travel and work close to impossible for repair crews. Caravan parks were evacuated because of the threat of caravans being overturned, and one man was injured by a falling tree
The news topic is on ASW but i would love any more data, images, track maps etc on this anything at all.
http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2001/03/20010308.htmAntonio.
