Weather News

Hail batters the NT, with more rain to come

Kim Westcott, Saturday June 18, 2016 - 06:50 AEST

Hailstones belted down over the Northern Territory's Simpson district on Friday, with more severe weather to come.

Around 4pm on Friday afternoon, thunderstorms formed around Alice Springs. Due to significant cooling in the upper atmosphere, water droplets formed into ice inside the thunderstorm, falling as hail throughout the Alice Springs area. This intense band of storms was very slow-moving, with thunderstorms persisting until the early hours of Saturday morning.

Throughout this event, over 12 000 lightning strikes were recorded within 100km of Alice Springs. Aside from the hail, rain also fell throughout the district, with 62mm recorded at Alice Springs Plaza, 52mm at Charles River and 51mm at Mount Lloyd. At Alice Springs airport, 17mm landed in the rain gauge making it the wettest June day in 13 years.

A Severe Weather Warning has been issued for parts of the northeastern parts of the Simpson and southern parts of Barkley districts with heavy rain and damaging wind gusts today. Locations that may be affected include Tennant Creek, Ali Curung, Alpurrurulam, Ampilatwatja, Avon Downs, Jervois and Ti Tree. Throughout Saturday falls in these areas may be as high as 50mm, with some places potentially picking up higher 24 hour totals, up to 100mm.

The low pressure trough which is responsible for this rain will move east and out of the NT during Sunday, allowing rain to clear. A high pressure ridge will push in quickly from behind, with most of inland areas likely to remain dry for the remainder of the week, while coastal parts of the Top End should pick up showers from about Thursday.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2016

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A very wet weekend for southeast Qld, northeast NSW

11:48 AEST A prolonged rainfall event is set to bring large totals to parts of NSW and Qld from Saturday, with possible heavy falls and flooding. A low-pressure system in the Coral Sea, a deepening coastal trough and persistent easterlies will bring moisture-laden air into southeast Qld and northeast NSW will bring days of rainfall to the region. While there is not a drop of rain on the radar over southeast Qld and Northeast NSW on Friday morning, the mass of cloud associated with a low in the Coral Sea will enhance rainfall over the weekend.