Ferocious storm turns deadly in eastern Australia
By
Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Dec 20, 2021 2:00 PM EDT
|
Updated Dec 22, 2021 6:41 AM EDT
Roofs were ripped from buildings as the sudden and intense deadly storm in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 19 killed one person and severely injured two others.
Violent thunderstorms in Australia rocked the greater Sydney area with torrential rainfall and fierce winds to begin the week. One of these thunderstorms even turned deadly Sunday, leaving one dead and at least two others injured.
A woman was killed by a falling tree while in the Sydney suburb of Narrabeen, according to 9 News Australia. The woman, just one day shy of her 69th birthday, was crushed when a lightning strike and dangerously high winds shattered a tree and the debris plummeted onto her vehicle.
Two other women were also in the same vehicle and both were rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
"The strength of the storm is evident in the destruction it caused," Inspector Christie Marks of New South Wales (NSW) Ambulance told 9 News. "Given the size of this tree, it's remarkable that there weren't more people injured."
In nearby areas, entire roofs were blown off of homes and apartment buildings. Local businesses sustained damage as the ferocious winds blew and debris was lofted across major distances.
Over 550 emergency calls were made to NSW Fire and Rescue and the State Emergency Service, according to 9 News.
Some videos that captured the driving and wind-swept rain showed how limited visibility became in some areas around Sydney.
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In addition to significant tree damage, power lines were also brought down across the region. At one point Sunday evening, at least 26,000 homes were without power.
AccuWeather forecasters say the atmosphere over the greater Sydney area was primed for this type of severe weather explosion Sunday.
"A cold front swept through eastern Australia which sparked off severe thunderstorms on Sunday," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty explained. "In advance of this front, temperatures surged well into the 90s F (32-36 C) which helped to fuel the storms."
The storms that the fired to life and moved across the Sydney area did so in the form of a dangerous squall line.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), Australia's weather service, the squall line that threatened Sydney Sunday had already shown itself to be able to produce wind gusts around 60-65 mph (~100 km/h).
When the deadly storm moved through the Narrabeen area, some first responders reported that a "mini-cyclone" had moved through the area, according to a press release from the NSW Fire and Rescue.
AccuWeather forecasters say it is more likely that a phenomenon known as a microburst caused some of the worst damage Sunday.
A microburst is a column of rapidly descending air that crashes to the ground, often with enormous force. Microbursts can occur within squall lines, which increases the risk for widespread, significant damage.
One person was killed and two critically injured during a storm that slammed Sydney, Australia’s, northern beaches on Dec. 19.
"What tends to happen [with microbursts] is dry air gets pulled into the mid-levels of a storm, which actually starts to evaporate the rain and hail," AccuWeather National Reporter Tony Laubach explained.
"As that evaporation occurs, that area of the storm tends to cool rapidly which then causes that air to rapidly descend; combine that with the weight of the falling precipitation and suddenly you have this column of air slamming into the ground," Laubach said.
Damage from a microburst shows evidence of straight-line winds, rather than damage indicative of a rotating tornado.
For residents in the midst of cleanup efforts, forecasters say conditions will remain favorable into midweek before additional stormy weather may develop.
"Through Thursday, high temperatures will be a little lower thanks to increased clouds along with a few showers and thunderstorms that will develop across eastern New South Wales," Douty said.
"A few storms could bring gusty wind and downpours, but it does not look like conditions will allow storms to get as severe as what was seen on Sunday."
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Severe Weather
Ferocious storm turns deadly in eastern Australia
By Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Dec 20, 2021 2:00 PM EDT | Updated Dec 22, 2021 6:41 AM EDT
Roofs were ripped from buildings as the sudden and intense deadly storm in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 19 killed one person and severely injured two others.
Violent thunderstorms in Australia rocked the greater Sydney area with torrential rainfall and fierce winds to begin the week. One of these thunderstorms even turned deadly Sunday, leaving one dead and at least two others injured.
A woman was killed by a falling tree while in the Sydney suburb of Narrabeen, according to 9 News Australia. The woman, just one day shy of her 69th birthday, was crushed when a lightning strike and dangerously high winds shattered a tree and the debris plummeted onto her vehicle.
Two other women were also in the same vehicle and both were rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
"The strength of the storm is evident in the destruction it caused," Inspector Christie Marks of New South Wales (NSW) Ambulance told 9 News. "Given the size of this tree, it's remarkable that there weren't more people injured."
In nearby areas, entire roofs were blown off of homes and apartment buildings. Local businesses sustained damage as the ferocious winds blew and debris was lofted across major distances.
Over 550 emergency calls were made to NSW Fire and Rescue and the State Emergency Service, according to 9 News.
Some videos that captured the driving and wind-swept rain showed how limited visibility became in some areas around Sydney.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
In addition to significant tree damage, power lines were also brought down across the region. At one point Sunday evening, at least 26,000 homes were without power.
AccuWeather forecasters say the atmosphere over the greater Sydney area was primed for this type of severe weather explosion Sunday.
"A cold front swept through eastern Australia which sparked off severe thunderstorms on Sunday," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty explained. "In advance of this front, temperatures surged well into the 90s F (32-36 C) which helped to fuel the storms."
The storms that the fired to life and moved across the Sydney area did so in the form of a dangerous squall line.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), Australia's weather service, the squall line that threatened Sydney Sunday had already shown itself to be able to produce wind gusts around 60-65 mph (~100 km/h).
When the deadly storm moved through the Narrabeen area, some first responders reported that a "mini-cyclone" had moved through the area, according to a press release from the NSW Fire and Rescue.
AccuWeather forecasters say it is more likely that a phenomenon known as a microburst caused some of the worst damage Sunday.
A microburst is a column of rapidly descending air that crashes to the ground, often with enormous force. Microbursts can occur within squall lines, which increases the risk for widespread, significant damage.
One person was killed and two critically injured during a storm that slammed Sydney, Australia’s, northern beaches on Dec. 19.
"What tends to happen [with microbursts] is dry air gets pulled into the mid-levels of a storm, which actually starts to evaporate the rain and hail," AccuWeather National Reporter Tony Laubach explained.
"As that evaporation occurs, that area of the storm tends to cool rapidly which then causes that air to rapidly descend; combine that with the weight of the falling precipitation and suddenly you have this column of air slamming into the ground," Laubach said.
Damage from a microburst shows evidence of straight-line winds, rather than damage indicative of a rotating tornado.
For residents in the midst of cleanup efforts, forecasters say conditions will remain favorable into midweek before additional stormy weather may develop.
"Through Thursday, high temperatures will be a little lower thanks to increased clouds along with a few showers and thunderstorms that will develop across eastern New South Wales," Douty said.
"A few storms could bring gusty wind and downpours, but it does not look like conditions will allow storms to get as severe as what was seen on Sunday."
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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