Weather News

Potentially severe storms through the east

Severe storm warnings have been issued for Queensland and NSW on Wednesday afternoon due to the risk of damaging winds and large hail.

Scattered storms developed through far northeast VIC, NSW and Queensland on Wednesday afternoon due to the presence of a broad low pressure trough and an upper cold pool of air. The trough is creating plenty of atmospheric instability, while the upper cold pool is amplifying this instability and also bringing the risk of hail. A strong jetstream is running through NSW and southern QLD and there is the risk that these strong upper level winds will reach the ground with storm down-draughts.

The warning as of 3-4pm Wednesday was for the NSW Upper Western and the QLD Channel Country, Maranoa and Warrego and Darling Downs and Granite Belt.

Today there has been heavy rain with storms about the QLD Capricornia and Northern Goldfields districts. Georgetown gained 13mm in the space of just ten minutes while Samuel Hill gained a very heavy 17mm in 10 minutes. No significant wind gusts have been observed so far, although yesterday's storms brought wind gusts to 102km/h to Phosphate Hill under a similar synoptic set up.

The area of instability will contract north to central and northern NSW on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, the area of likely storms will move further north again with the movement of a trough, with central and northern parts of QLD likely to continue to see storms.

Keep checking weatherzone.com.au for the latest warnings and updates with these storms, because the severe storm area is likely to change.


- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2012

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