Author Topic: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008  (Read 39298 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Richary

  • Barrel tornado F4
  • *
  • Posts: 680
  • Gender: Male
RE: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #15 on: 29 May 2008, 05:09:18 PM »
I left work at Chatswood about 4:30 and had a good view of the storm on the drive, but nowhere I could really stop and photo. Some great cloud structure there as the previous photos show. It was pushing up fairly well above lower level cloud that was moving in a NW direction.

Once I got home after stopping at the supermarket we had a couple of close strikes but then not much except a bit of a display to the east. Later after 6:30 the storm was really firing to me NE (Gordon) with lots of strikes and some quite good ones though I didn't try capturing them. They weren't that frequent but when they went off they werent bad. Saw a few ground strikes, lots of ICs and a couple of crawlers.

No rain here, it skirted Rydalmere to the east and the next one coming faded before it arrived.

Offline nmoir

  • Elephant Trunk F2
  • *
  • Posts: 200
  • Gender: Male
  • "busting chases since 1999"
    • Oculi.com.au
RE: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #16 on: 30 May 2008, 12:26:59 AM »
a couple of cells developed off sydney early this morning , about 4:30 - 5 am , this bolt was off Malabar they had weakened about5:30 am then moved onshore and rained
« Last Edit: 30 May 2008, 12:37:42 AM by nmoir »
Nick Moir
Photographer
The Sydney Morning Herald
and www.oculi.com.au

tetrahedron

  • Guest
RE: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #17 on: 30 May 2008, 07:48:04 AM »
enak_12, I'm interested in your waterspout taken at night, presumably in the Coffs Harbour area.

Earlier in the same day (Wed 28/5) at 3pm I saw two waterspouts produced by a storm off Byron Bay. It looked as though it may have been about 15km away, and it seemed to be weakening as it came onshore.

One of the waterspouts was away from the main rain mass, while the other appeared to be inside it. With the first sighting you could see a wide area of water being churned up.

Offline Michael Bath

  • storm chaser
  • Administrator
  • Wedge tornado F5
  • *
  • Posts: 1,602
  • Gender: Male
    • Australian Severe Weather
RE: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #18 on: 30 May 2008, 08:48:29 AM »
Interesting regarding the waterspouts near Byron Bay yesterday afternoon. The same thing happened on 6th April (forum thread including picture of a waterspout at South Ballina). On both occasions a shelf cloud structure developed as the cells passed inland from the coast.

Comparison of the shelf cloud structures that followed the waterspout reports:

6th April 2008

28th May 2008

MB

Location: Mcleans Ridges, NSW Northern Rivers
Australian Severe Weather:   http://australiasevereweather.com/
Lightning Photography:   http://www.lightningphotography.com/
Early Warning Network: http://www.ewn.com.au
Contact: Michael Bath

Offline Jimmy Deguara

  • Australian and Tornado Alley storm chaser
  • Administrator
  • Wedge tornado F5
  • *
  • Posts: 2,218
  • Gender: Male
  • Storm Chaser since 1993, Tornado Alley 2001
    • Australia Severe Weather
Re: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #19 on: 30 May 2008, 11:48:20 AM »
Nick,

Now that awesome structure confirms the organised formation I suspected when you and I chatted! Wow! That is fantastic for May. It confirmed David Croan's excitement calling me and also Nick's phone call with regards to sporadic hail.

The perspective I had was the same as James in some ways but taken from my back yard and balcony!

All pictures from this day are linked on this page:

http://www.australiasevereweather.com.au/photography/photos/2008/jd20080528.html





Development of inflow features









Regards,

Jimmy Deguara
« Last Edit: 30 May 2008, 12:00:48 PM by Jimmy Deguara »
-------------------------------------
Australian Severe Weather
www.australiasevereweather.com

Australian Thunderbolt Tours
www.thunderbolttours.com

Phone  0408 020468  (International :  61  2  408 020468)

Offline David C

  • Global Moderator
  • Barrel tornado F4
  • *
  • Posts: 643
  • Gender: Male
    • Thunderbolt Tours Storm Chasing Adventures
Re: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #20 on: 30 May 2008, 12:19:10 PM »
My first view of the Sydney cell was around 4:20pm -- some impressive updrafts, for any time of the year, let alone late May! I had a 30-minute top-floor meeting starting 4:40pm during which it became just a bit hard to concentrate as a vivid CG seemed light up the room and was followed in quick succession be several more -- at that stage the storm's core was still a good 10km away.

At 5pm I raced down to the car, got in and as I turned the corner was surprised to see a very nice deep updraft base, which appeared circular from my perspective I should add and with solid inflow stinger aligned ENE (attachment 2). There was a good solid east-north east infeed as well. I took the usual route home through the back streets of Nth Ryde, and just as I was driving past Paul's place he happened to be pulling out of the driveway for a chase too. 

Shortly after turning west down Quarry Road, there was an almighty flash and sparks as a CG hit a power line (going by the shower of sparks) less than 20 metres from the car. Another minute later, the most incredible staccato CG hit somewhere directly in front of me as the thunder was an immediate crack. At this time still no rain. Two minutes later and then came the hail; and it came down in a torrent with mostly 2cm stones and some larger dings. The largest I could see on the median strip were around 3cm but jagged rather than spherical. The road was quickly covered, some motorists were mounting the kerb to get under trees, there was general suburban pandemonium, and then in under 10 minutes that was it.

Phone camera only as below:
Storm Chaser,
Thunderbolt Tours - USA & Australia Storm Chase Tours
www.thunderbolttours.com

Offline enak_12

  • Elephant Trunk F2
  • *
  • Posts: 153
  • Gender: Male
Re: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #21 on: 30 May 2008, 01:52:17 PM »
Just adding some more pics taken from the night after the waterspout (28'th of May). Couldn't get down to the marina where I planned until a bit late, got some bolt-from-the-blue lightning from home though.










Offline Michael Bath

  • storm chaser
  • Administrator
  • Wedge tornado F5
  • *
  • Posts: 1,602
  • Gender: Male
    • Australian Severe Weather
Re: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #22 on: 30 May 2008, 02:50:15 PM »
Kurnell radar was on 5 minute scan - maybe that is normal now ?  Anyway - here's the radar loop of the Sydney storm which has quite a compact precipitation core.

---> Kurnell radar loop


Location: Mcleans Ridges, NSW Northern Rivers
Australian Severe Weather:   http://australiasevereweather.com/
Lightning Photography:   http://www.lightningphotography.com/
Early Warning Network: http://www.ewn.com.au
Contact: Michael Bath

Offline David C

  • Global Moderator
  • Barrel tornado F4
  • *
  • Posts: 643
  • Gender: Male
    • Thunderbolt Tours Storm Chasing Adventures
Re: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #23 on: 30 May 2008, 03:20:41 PM »
Interesting loop there Michael.

Note how much of the convection is clearly multicellular. However, the storm that moves through the CBD is quite discrete and appears to be a quite persistent precip core indicative of a persistent updraft.
Storm Chaser,
Thunderbolt Tours - USA & Australia Storm Chase Tours
www.thunderbolttours.com

Offline Richary

  • Barrel tornado F4
  • *
  • Posts: 680
  • Gender: Male
Re: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #24 on: 30 May 2008, 03:39:47 PM »
Had a service call this morning on one of our radio data links at Turramurra that copped a hit last night!

Offline habs

  • Rope Tornado F0
  • *
  • Posts: 5
  • Gender: Male
Re: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #25 on: 30 May 2008, 04:07:48 PM »
some pics of the storm yesterday from rhodes including inflow bands and of all things a clear slot (rfd of some sort id guess) which started some rotation over homebush, in may! incredible












more here

matt

Offline Jimmy Deguara

  • Australian and Tornado Alley storm chaser
  • Administrator
  • Wedge tornado F5
  • *
  • Posts: 2,218
  • Gender: Male
  • Storm Chaser since 1993, Tornado Alley 2001
    • Australia Severe Weather
Re: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #26 on: 30 May 2008, 04:47:08 PM »
Hi guys,

Matt, nice inflow feature there - decent base.

David, 3cm hail sounds real - the last updraft developed rather rapidly. Note in the photographs a boundary exists and this is the boundary the storm traverses. Doppler radar would have been rather interesting.

Regards,

Jimmy Deguara
-------------------------------------
Australian Severe Weather
www.australiasevereweather.com

Australian Thunderbolt Tours
www.thunderbolttours.com

Phone  0408 020468  (International :  61  2  408 020468)

Offline David C

  • Global Moderator
  • Barrel tornado F4
  • *
  • Posts: 643
  • Gender: Male
    • Thunderbolt Tours Storm Chasing Adventures
Re: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #27 on: 31 May 2008, 05:07:10 AM »
Damn nice photos and perspective above Matt; definitely that is a NICE base, sure looks like a clear slot cutting in and not surprised that you can confirm some rotation. Seemed as though the CGs were dropping from the vault since, well at least where I was, these were followed by the mostly-hail barrage.
Storm Chaser,
Thunderbolt Tours - USA & Australia Storm Chase Tours
www.thunderbolttours.com

Offline vrondes

  • Multi-vortex F1
  • *
  • Posts: 77
Re: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #28 on: 01 June 2008, 12:57:49 AM »
Wonderful shots from Wednesday by everyone, The following are from parramatta looking south at the super updraft towers. After this that rotating bell shaped extended updraft base put on a nice display of cg's illuminating the precip curtain and the hail core over the Lidcombe -Homebush area. Fabulous structure and a wonderful late season storm.








Cheers, Con.
Posted on: 31 May 2008, 06:39:05 AM
Continuing on from the previous post, these shots show some plate like features of the updraft base revealing some nice structure again illuminated by the cg's crashing through the vault region as noted by Jimmy, it was marvellous to watch it with my son as he stood on buckets to see the evolving action, Cheers again, Con.












Offline nmoir

  • Elephant Trunk F2
  • *
  • Posts: 200
  • Gender: Male
  • "busting chases since 1999"
    • Oculi.com.au
Re: Southeast Australia Storms: 26-28 May 2008
« Reply #29 on: 01 June 2008, 01:36:17 AM »
is that a small funnell in the 4th pic from bottom , just above the trees on the right? nice pics con
Nick Moir
Photographer
The Sydney Morning Herald
and www.oculi.com.au