Unusually tumultuous weather has swept parts of eastern Australia over the past week, with meteorologists warning that further storms, hail and rain are likely to return in the lead-up to Christmas.
A severe thunderstorm battered Sydney on Sunday, leaving more than 10,000 homes without power as large hailstones rained down on parts of the city. Flights from Sydney airport were cancelled while the Tropfest short film festival was delayed after its venue in Centennial Park was evacuated.
In Melbourne, lightning lit up the sky early on Saturday morning, with a thunderstorm preceding a weekend of gloomy weather for the Victorian capital.
The storms come as Brisbane residents clean up from a “supercell” storm that caused damage that could cost up to $1bn. Hail damaged nearly 2,000 homes, while fallen trees have caused a problem for many households.
Last week, Darwin suffered a widespread blackout for around five hours following lightning strikes.
The wild weather, at a time when many Australians would be expecting calm, sunny days, is a result of two merging fronts, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).
A broad area of low pressure, stretching from central Australia to the south-east of the country, has been supplemented by a surge in humidity from tropical areas.
“That combination has led to an unstable environment in the atmosphere,” Craig Burke, a BoM meteorologist, told Guardian Australia. “Other local effects come to play, but the overall weather pattern is unsettled and it has been stagnant for the past week now. It’s unusual that this weather has persisted for a week.” http://www.theguardian.com/weather/2014/dec/08/wild-weather-continue-batter-eastern-australia
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