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Freak storms lash eastern Australia
2 hours, 42 minutes ago
Add to My Yahoo! Asia - AFP
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) - Freak summer storms lashed eastern Australia overnight, dumping record rains on Melbourne, hitting Brisbane with a towering dust storm and killing a camping schoolgirl near Sydney, officials said.
Melbourne's Yarra River was close to bursting its banks early Thursday after the city received more rain in the previous 24 hours than during any day since records began in 1856, the meteorological service said.
At the height of the storm Wednesday evening, Melbourne registered its coldest February day on record with the mercury dropping to 12.8 degrees Celsius (55 Fahrenheit).
The storms, caused by an intense low-pressure system, hit a vast area from Queensland state in the north, through New South Wales and Victoria states and on to the island state of Tasmania off mainland Australia's southeastern corner.
Falling trees blocked roads and toppled power lines across the region, cutting off electricity supplies to tens of thousands of people, authorities said.
In Melbourne, Australia's second biggest city, rain caused flashfloods that snarled traffic and damaged many homes, with local emergency services reporting more than 2,500 calls for help.
"This is shaping as one of our busiest storm operations ever as the rain and wind continues to lash Melbourne," said emergency services spokesman Peter Cocks.
"The number of calls has stretched resources to the limit and I ask people to be patient as many volunteers have been on the go all night."
The traffic jams forced delays at the Heineken Classic Golf Tournament due to open Thursday at the Royal Melbourne club as players had difficulty getting to the course.
High winds, hail and rain also pummelled Sydney and surrounding areas, killing a 16-year-old girl early Wednesday when a tree fell onto her tent during a school camping trip.
To the north in Queensland, high winds whipped up a massive dust storm that sent a wall of rust-red particles across the large state, cutting visibility to 100 meters (yards) in some areas and forcing the closure of 20 regional airports.
The storms were all associated with a single weather system over eastern Australia, said Andrew Haigh with the bureau of meteorology.
"You've got a very strong cold front and a low-pressure system combining. There's very cold air in the upper atmosphere over southern New South Wales and Victoria," he said.
Freak storms lash eastern Australia
2 hours, 42 minutes ago
Add to My Yahoo! Asia - AFP
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) - Freak summer storms lashed eastern Australia overnight, dumping record rains on Melbourne, hitting Brisbane with a towering dust storm and killing a camping schoolgirl near Sydney, officials said.
Melbourne's Yarra River was close to bursting its banks early Thursday after the city received more rain in the previous 24 hours than during any day since records began in 1856, the meteorological service said.
At the height of the storm Wednesday evening, Melbourne registered its coldest February day on record with the mercury dropping to 12.8 degrees Celsius (55 Fahrenheit).
The storms, caused by an intense low-pressure system, hit a vast area from Queensland state in the north, through New South Wales and Victoria states and on to the island state of Tasmania off mainland Australia's southeastern corner.
Falling trees blocked roads and toppled power lines across the region, cutting off electricity supplies to tens of thousands of people, authorities said.
In Melbourne, Australia's second biggest city, rain caused flashfloods that snarled traffic and damaged many homes, with local emergency services reporting more than 2,500 calls for help.
"This is shaping as one of our busiest storm operations ever as the rain and wind continues to lash Melbourne," said emergency services spokesman Peter Cocks.
"The number of calls has stretched resources to the limit and I ask people to be patient as many volunteers have been on the go all night."
The traffic jams forced delays at the Heineken Classic Golf Tournament due to open Thursday at the Royal Melbourne club as players had difficulty getting to the course.
High winds, hail and rain also pummelled Sydney and surrounding areas, killing a 16-year-old girl early Wednesday when a tree fell onto her tent during a school camping trip.
To the north in Queensland, high winds whipped up a massive dust storm that sent a wall of rust-red particles across the large state, cutting visibility to 100 meters (yards) in some areas and forcing the closure of 20 regional airports.
The storms were all associated with a single weather system over eastern Australia, said Andrew Haigh with the bureau of meteorology.
"You've got a very strong cold front and a low-pressure system combining. There's very cold air in the upper atmosphere over southern New South Wales and Victoria," he said.