The Oz Round Table boards > The Round Table
The Australian weather & fire thread (winds, floods, bushfires, warnings, news)
*CountessA*:
Wild winds to lash eastern states (more on the winds)
--- Quote ---Destructive winds are continuing the howl across the east coast, bringing down power lines, tree branches and leaving thousands of homes without power.
Send us your photos of the wild weather
Winds up to 100km/h were recorded in South Australia late yesterday, accompanied by heavy rain, which caused widespread blackouts and felled numerous trees.
There were no reports of injuries or substantial damage but State Emergency Service volunteers were called to about 300 incidents.
The call-outs were mainly for felled trees and power lines, a SES spokesman said.
At the peak of the storm, some 10,000 houses and businesses across the state were without power and the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has forecast more harsh weather for later today.
"A vigorous cold front moving across southern parts of the state today is expected to produce the possibility of damaging winds, averaging 60-70km/h ... with peak gusts in excess of 90 km/h, mainly associated with showers and thunderstorms," the bureau's warning stated.
Locations to feel the brunt of the front include Adelaide, Port Lincoln, Mount Gambier, Murray Bridge, Kingscote and Naracoorte.
Scattered branches lined the streets of some Canberra suburbs after the winds ripped through early this morning.
Emergency service crews received 48 calls, with Canberra's northern suburbs the worst-affected area.
Power outages and trees on powerlines were also reported.
The ACT State Emergency Service said there were, so far, no reports of badly damaged homes.
"We haven't had any major structural damage, but it's not beyond possibility," deputy chief officer Tony Graham told AAP on Tuesday.
"It's not unusual for Canberra to get severe storm damage."
Branches are scattered across roads and footpaths, following strong winds which raged between 1am (AEST) and 5am.
Wind speeds peaked at 89km an hour shortly after 2am (AEST).
Calls to emergency services were highest from Scullin, Flynn, Kaleen and Hackett.
Power is still out in several northern suburbs.
Mr Graham said the 48 calls to emergency services was much lower tally than the average of 300 for severe storms.
Volunteer crews are expected to spend the rest of Tuesday morning cleaning up the debris, and are bracing for a return to strong winds tonight, he added.
The SES said it received more than 110 calls for assistance across Sydney after more than 7000 homes were blacked, with some outages caused by trees falling on power lines.
The wild weather, including severe wind gusts, also caused flight delays of up to an hour at Sydney Airport.
SES spokesman Phil Campbell warned residents to make sure children and pets were inside and to secure outside furniture and loose items.
"Most of the calls have come from western Sydney and we've also had calls from the Riverina, the Wollongong and Southern Highlands areas, Shellharbour, Bowral and Moss Vale," Mr Campbell said.
He said residents were dealing with trees down across roads, driveways and minor roof damage.
"We are expecting debris on the roads and urging people to park their car under cover, not under trees," Mr Campbell said.
Integral Energy said about 5000 people lost power in isolated areas of Penrith and the Blue Mountains, while Energy Australia said power had been restored to about 2000 homes in Bexley and Carlton in Sydney's south.
Sydney Airport remains open, but flights are being delayed.
"Flight schedules will be disrupted due to the high winds and delays of up to 60 minutes will be experienced on some flights," a Sydney Airport spokesman said.
"Plenty of flights have come in and out already."
In Queensland, the fire danger remains extreme as the state swelters through record-breaking temperature, but wild winds are expected to die down later today.
A total fire ban remains across the south of the state with a top of 31 degrees Celsius predicted for Brisbane city.
Brisbane is experiencing its hottest August on record, with the temperature soaring to 35.4 degrees about 4.20pm (AEST) on Monday.
Temperatures across the state have been about 10 degrees hotter than average.
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service commissioner Lee Johnson said the first real fire cycle for the year was expected during the next two days.
He said the fire ban meant no fires in the open and warned anyone using machinery, such as slashing grass, should exercise extreme caution.
Residents have been asked to immediately report any fires, including small grass fires, as they could quickly escalate.
Anyone caught lighting a fire during a fire ban faces six months in prison or a $5000 fine.
--- End quote ---
Roo:
Does anyone have the phone numbers for Emergency services such as the SES handy?
They sure might come in handy in Melbourne tonight.... :(
Maybe we could have a list of important numbers here so people could print them out and keep them handy?
*CountessA*:
AUSTRALIA-WIDE
SES Emergency Contact 132 500
Call 132 500 from anywhere in your state for emergency SES assistance in a flood or storm. SES volunteers are on call 24 hours a day to provide emergency assistance if you or your property is affected by a flood or storm. When you call 132 500 you will be connected to your local SES Unit or an emergency communications centre.
Phone triple zero (000) for police, fire or ambulance.
Again... for life-threatening emergencies, dial 000.
For flood or storm emergencies, dial 132 500.
Roo:
Oh Crikey! Now everything has gone quiet....I hate it when it does that....kinda like the calm before the storm...
I thought I got home just in time tonight...the wind was strong but it had only started to rain.
Then just as I settled in my nice dry warm fluffy slippers....the front gate blew open and was just about to fly off the hinges!
I had to get all kitted up to brave the howling winds to shut it!
I guess I should be happy that my back fence hasn't been replaced since before last Christmas when it blew over...lol
Centuries:
Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
NSW
Priority
NSW SEVERE WEATHER WARNING
Damaging Winds
For people in
the Riverina, South West Slopes, Southern Tablelands, ACT, Illawarra, South Coast Metropolitan, Central Tablelands and Alpine areas.
Issued at 9:45 pm on Tuesday 25 August 2009
Synoptic Situation: 9:00 pm EST Tuesday
Squally west to northwest winds are expected over the southeastern NSW overnight and early Wednesday ahead of a cold front. They are expected to ease behind the front later in the morning.
This is an update of the warning issued at 05:45 pm Tuesday.
Winds are expected to average over 65 km/h at times with peak wind gusts in excess of 90 km/h.
In Alpine areas above 1900 metres winds are expected to average over 90 km/h at times with peak gusts over 125 km/h.
Emergency services advise you to keep clear of fallen power lines, stay indoors away from windows and keep children indoors.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service recommends that people consider postponing back country travel until conditions improve.
For emergency help in floods and storms, ring the SES [NSW and ACT] on telephone number 132 500.
The next warning is due to be issued by 5:00 am Wednesday
This warning is also available through TV and Radio broadcasts; the Bureau's website at www.bom.gov.au or call 1300 659 218. The Bureau and State Emergency Service would appreciate this warning being broadcast regularly.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version