All Hail!

By Willy Weather on March 31, 2011 in Other

The 1999 Sydney hailstorm – where were you when it hit? Although the event may not have as much historical significance as the landing on the moon or the shooting of John F. Kennedy, but those who experienced it, I am sure it something they will not likely forget.

I happened to be on a date, sitting in a car at Ben Buckler point. Within minutes of the storm hitting Bondi our car was being pounded by 9cm wide hailstones. The sound of the stones hitting the car roof was deafening. It was the first time in 52 years that stones greater than 8cm had fallen in Sydney, with the last reported event being the 1947 hailstorm. The downpour of an estimated 500,000 tonnes of hail across Sydney, half of which seemed to fall on our car, caused an estimated $2.3 billion in damages.

Based on further analysis of its erratic nature and extreme attributes, the storm was classified as a ‘supercell’. The Bureau of Meteorology was surprised by its unpredictable nature as well as the frequent changes in direction and the duration of the storm. The time of year and general conditions were not seen as conducive for extreme cell formation.

Shortly after the storm had passed, we got out of the car to survey the damage around us. Up until to that point my date did not look too impressed with my wheels. Who can blame her given that I was driving a 1967 Toyota Corona. However, on that night it was definitely the car of choice. The hailstones had literally bounced off her exterior and not a mark was left. I can’t say the same for the Pajero that was parked next to us though. They certainly don’t make them like they use to!

DID YOU KNOW?

In Kericho, Kenya, hail falls on an average of 132 days in the year. An extraordinary figure given it is located only 80km south of the equator.

APRIL WILLY WEATHER STATISTICS

Temperature
Temp High – 33.9 (1986)
Temp Low – 7.0 (1864)
Temp Av – 18.5

Rainfall
Rain High – 622.1mm (1861)
Rain Low – 1.4mm (1868)
Rain Av – 126.2mm

Sunrise
April 1st
Rise – 7:07am
Set – 6:50pm

April 30th
Rise – 6:28am
Set – 5:15pm

Moonphases
New Moon –  April 4th
First Quarter – April 11th
Full Moon – April 18th
Last Quarter – April 25th

All of the information on this page has been provided by www.willyweather.com.au.