Graeme Brittain, 21 Feb 2017, 1:21 AM UTC
Sparks fly for southern parts of WA overnight
An impressive area of thunderstorms swept across the southwest of
the country last night.
A combination of cold air originating from the Southern Ocean
colliding with hot tropical air provided sufficient instability to
trigger the widespread storms observed last night.
The South East Coastal District of Western Australia copped the
worst of the weather, with over 5000 flashes of lightning
recorded. In terms of rainfall, Esperance airport collected 15mm
and the weather station at Salmon Gums was drenched with 36mm.
A high pressure ridge will build across the southwest in the
systems wake, and persist through the remainder of the week,
bringing a return to dry and settled conditions.
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