NEWS FROM MORECAST
Major Winter Storm Blasts Southeast Australia to Close the Season!
One of the worst storms on the winter rolled across southeast Australia late Thursday into Friday. Lower elevations saw high winds knock down trees and powerlines, leading to widespread power outages. Heavy snow fell in the mountains, combining with the winds to create dangerous blizzard conditions.
Moderately gusty winds were a widespread hazard across much of South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria. However, the strongest winds with gusts up to 130 kph (80 mph) were associated with fast-moving storms. These storms moved first across the Adelaide metro on Friday morning. The Bureau of Meteorology even analyzed two tornadoes that ripped through the northern suburbs, not unprecedented but certainly very rare. Numerous trees and powerlines were knocked down and more than 13,000 households lost power in the region. Winds peaked over 100 kph (62 mph) in Melbourne on Friday night.
Snow has been falling for several days in the Victorian Alps, but the heaviest accumulations occurred as the winter storm came through to end the week. Storm totals up to 77 cm (30 in) have been reported in the highest ranges. These snows combined with wind gusts to 125 kph (78 mph) to create crippling blizzard conditions including near-zero visibilities and drifts of a few meters in spots. Snow levels crashed down as the storm moved through with a light coating as low as 600 m (2,000 ft), just minutes outside of the major cities.
