Kim Westcott, 27 Oct 2013, 4:00 AM UTC
Thunderstorms lash the Northern Rivers
Stormy weather brought heavy rain to Ballina and Bryon with an impressive light show last night.
The rain came thick and fast as thunderstorms whipped up the northern New South Wales coast, with Ballina seeing nearly 20mm in ten minutes. Further north, 13mm fell in ten minutes as the thunderstorm cells passed over Cape Byron. The storms had mostly dissipated as they crossed over the Queensland/New South Wales border.
The storms which had been building in a low pressure trough brought gusty conditions along the coast, with wind gusts of 69km/h recorded at Ballina Airport, the highest gust since winter. Bryon Bay also clocked a 59km/h gust with these storms.
The rain has been welcomed by residents which have faced a dry October so far, with potential for more showers and storms brewing in the days to come.
Instability will continue to build with a low pressure system extending a trough over the region. By Tuesday, the temperature will begin to creep towards 30 degrees under gusty northerly winds. By the evening, a clash of warm inland air and cooler southerlies may result in more thundery showers over the Northern Rivers region. Current models suggest that this should bring widespread rainfall of around 5-10mm, with isolated falls closer to 10-20mm. The passage of the trough will also cause the temperature to drop, as the southerlies increase.
However, the wet conditions will not be long lasting, with showers easing by Wednesday due to a high pressure ridge extending over northern NSW. The settled conditions will allow the mercury to start to creep back into the high 20's by the weekend.
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