LIVE: ‘Bomb cyclone' lashes the NSW coastline, evacuation orders issued
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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
New wind gust record set as more flights cancelled between Brisbane and Sydney
A new wind gust record has been set at Brisbane Airport as weather conditions in New South Wales continue to cause flight cancellations. Bureau of Meterology senior forecaster Felim Hanniffy said wind gusts of up to 81 kilometres per hour were recorded last night — the strongest for that site for the month of July since records began 26 years ago. Mr Hanniffy said this was equal to the highest gusts recorded at the airport during Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in March. This morning at least nine flights between Brisbane and Sydney were cancelled due to wind conditions in New South Wales. Peter Doherty from Brisbane Airport said the situation across the border was easing just in time for school holidays. "Which is good news because we know there are lots of people from New South Wales eager to come to Queensland," he said. "Conditions for flying are actually pretty good here in Brisbane, there is some wind around but it is not an issue for aircraft. Mr Hanniffy said wind speeds reached between 60 and 80kph across the south-east on Wednesday and are expected to ease today. "It shouldn't be as windy as we saw yesterday, but still gusts of 50 to 60kph around from late this morning and into the afternoon," he said. Mr Hanniffy said temperatures over the weekend are forecast to reach 23 degrees Celsius, with the chance of showers late on Sunday. "We lose the westerlies before they return again early next week, but don't look as strong as what we experienced yesterday," he said.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
As winter rain batters some parts of WA, some farms remain parched and 'desperate'
The first month of winter has come and gone, delivering above average rainfall to parts of WA, while leaving some inland farming areas parched and desperate. For Cunderdin farmer Holly Godfrey, it has been a disappointing start to the season. "I think for the year to date, we've had around 50 millimetres, so we're really, really needing a bit of rain," Ms Godfrey said. "The crops are probably a little bit smaller than we'd hoped for at this stage." Patchy germination has made things worse, particularly for her canola. "I just looked at some photos of canola this time last year and it was far more advanced than it is this year." Despite the dry start and grim outlook, Ms Godfrey remains hopeful. "We're in a pretty reliable area here in Cunderdin, so I think the rain will come eventually," she said. Last month, four cold fronts swept over the south west of WA, bringing bursts of cold and wet weather to large parts. The South West district received the bulk of it, with some towns recording higher than average rainfall totals for June. Witchcliffe West topped the charts with 277.8mm, followed by Jarrahwood which picked up more than 200mm and Bunbury at 190mm. The heavy rain extended up the west coast, with Geraldton Airport collecting a decent 135mm. Perth also got a good dose of rainfall across June, but due to the metro rain gauge suffering technical difficulties, the closest estimate to the city's monthly total would be Perth Airport's 153.8mm. But due to those cold fronts weakening quickly and a lack of support from north-west cloud bands, areas further inland that were desperate for a drink missed out. Across the Wheatbelt and Great Southern, most places only received about 50 to 60 per cent of their normal June rainfall. Cunderdin Airport received 26.8mm while York picked up just over 21mm. Ms Godfrey said that was not nearly enough to set crops up for a successful season. "There's a bit of moisture in the ground now which is helping but it just means that the crops are pretty late this year, and the season will probably be a shorter growing season unfortunately," she said. "I think we would have hoped to have had a good 100mm by now, but another 50 to 100mm in the next month would be great." But not all farmers were in the same boat. At Tenterden, 328 kilometres south-east of Perth, Michael Webster's seeding program was progressing well due to early rains and good soil moisture. "We've had a great start to our season so far," he said. "We have had 234mm since January with 64mm over June — so it's still got a way to go, but very, very grateful for what we've had so far." Mr Webster said this season was already tracking better than last. "The canola is particularly good, growth rates have been pretty phenomenal," he said. But he knows other farmers haven't been as fortunate. "You don't have to drive too far for guys who have missed out on a lot of the April, May or June rain," Mr Webster said. "We're in a little bit of a bubble here but it's definitely a different story for a lot of people." York-based agronomist Michael Lamond agreed the season had started well for southern WA, but said crucial follow-up rain had instead been falling further north. "It's only been just enough to keep things ticking over and so we're sort of in quite a desperate need of rain now," he said. "It's also been a very cold winter so far, so the crops have sort of really hit the brakes and they've slowed down, and they're sort of saying look we need a drink." WA's grain growers delivered their third-largest harvest on record last year, following record-breaking seasons in 2021 and 2022. Mr Lamond, who authors the Grain Industry Association of WA's crop report, said for most farmers this season was shaping out to mirror 2023, a colder season that produced only 14.5 million tonnes. "There was that optimism at the start, and now everyone's wondering how things are going to go from now on," he said. "If we don't get rain soon, like essentially next week or the week after, we'll run out of time for the crops to finish in the spring when the heat comes so I'd say it's becoming quite desperate." While a cold front overnight and another on Sunday are expected to deliver some light falls to agricultural areas, the Bureau of Meteorology's forecast shows it won't be answering any prayers. "The fronts are more likely to bring around 10-20mm instead of those upper end type rainfall figures," senior meteorologist Joey Rawson said. The bureau's July outlook suggests farmers may have to wait a little longer. "We can expect less rainfall and warmer conditions than normal," Dr Rawson said. "But hopefully when we get to August, things will turn around, and we'll start seeing wetter conditions, and also more normal temperatures."
ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Wild wind to continue as major weather event moves off New South Wales coast
Emergency services are warning the worst-hit areas from this week's weather event will have a reprieve on Thursday, but wild winds are still on the cards. The SES said there was now a reduced threat level in Sydney, Wollongong and Ulladulla after they took the worst of the battering on Wednesday. Ulladulla saw falls of 223 millimetres and 200 homes were flooded yesterday. The SES said it responded to 1,442 incidents in the past 24 hours, two of which were flood rescues. Emergency warnings for Sanctuary Point and Burrill Lake have also been downgraded. Early on Thursday morning the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warned areas around the Northern Tablelands and the Mid-North Coast could still expect winds up to 100 kilometres per hour. The most severe winds occurred at Montague Island Lighthouse at about 1pm on Wednesday when gusts of 104kph were recorded. Severe weather warnings have also been cancelled for the stretch of New South Wales spanning from Newcastle to the Illawarra region. A coastal hazard warning for damaging surf still remains in place for huge swathes of the NSW coast. Surf conditions are predicted to still be dangerous on Thursday, with waves potentially reaching up to 6 metres in height from everywhere from the Mid-North Coast to the Illawarra region. Those conditions, according to BOM senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury, are adding to the risk of coastal erosion. "We've also got the possibility of inundation of low-lying areas — and some coastal erosion too — with those large waves, so it's going to be pretty rough out on the water," she told ABC Radio Sydney on Wednesday night. As of Wednesday night, the NSW SES has maintained four emergency warnings, advising parts of Wamberal and North Entrance to evacuate now due to coastal erosion. Twenty-seven separate warnings have also been issued by the state's emergency service, including five "watch and acts". But while conditions are expected to continue easing, flooding will remain a risk over the coming days. As of 1pm on Wednesday, minor flooding had been recorded at rivers across the state, including the Upper Coxs, Macdonald, Parramatta, Cooks, Clude, Tuross, Bega and Snowy rivers, according to the BOM. Moderate flooding was also possible at the Sussex Inlet, near Jervis Bay, overnight, with the flood peaking occurring at Island Point Road, the BOM also said late on Wednesday. Moderate flooding is also possible in the St Georges Basin at Sussex Inlet overnight into Thursday. As of Wednesday night, the Warragamba dam was at 98 per cent capacity, with WaterNSW earlier in the day predicting there would be "moderate" spilling overnight.
