Weather News

Thunderstorms rips through Gympie

Tristan Meyers, Saturday March 28, 2015 - 10:21 AEDT

An intense pocket of thunderstorms tore through Gympie, bringing over a third of the monthly total in under two hours.

It was looking like a mostly fine day in Gympie yesterday, but then a few thick clouds began forming overhead in the late afternoon. At about 5pm and with little warning, the skies opened up and delivered 12 mm of rain in just 10 minutes. Temperatures immediately began to plummet, from 32 to 23 degrees in about an hour an a half.

The sudden downpour was also accompanied with a spectacular display of lightning - nearly 1500 strikes were detected in the thunderstorm.

The thunderstorm was very isolated. In Dagun just over 15 kilometers to the south, no rain was recorded at all. Aside from a distant rumble of thunder, surrounding areas may not have been aware of the deluge at all!

This intense system was sparked by a shifting surface trough over the region. As it moved, the trough forced warm winds over the State Forest's ranges, just to the west of Gympie. These were met with strong and moist easterly winds. Along with the heat of the day, this was the perfect recipe for thunderstorms, known as "breaking the cap" in meteorological terms.

Another thunderstorm, although not as intense, may hit the area around Gympie today. Following this, conditions are looking to ease on Sunday and Monday.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2015

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