The wild weather continues

For the past 24 to 48 hours we have been getting thunder storms, gale force winds, rain and (yesterday) hail. These storms come out of nowhere, seemingly. I can track their approach on my pc from the weather bureau radar and can usually work around them.

Yesterday was a fine sunny day - a touch cool for this time of year with the night time temperature going down to 6C. When you consider that we are usually sweltering in Australian summer with daytime temps in the high 30's and nights a humid sultry 18-22C this is truly unusual.

I watched this storm approach:

Then it was right over us!

Then came the rain - a cloudburst.

Then the hail.

Then it was gone - five minutes!

Denny-the-Dog came out from his dry warm bunk and said:

"What the F*%k was that?"

Fortunately we suffered little damage, a tomato pot turned over, a few flattened seedlings, however Canberra, some 70kms to the east of us copped a severe battering once again! I measured 20mms (just under and inch, about 80 points) of rain in the rain gauge from that 5 minute down pour.

Today is overcast and cool (14C) with more storms later in the day. When Rhonda gets home from her morning shift at the hospital we are heading up to "The Camp" for a few days - partly R and R but also to check what damage may have occurred.

And for Jim - "Yes!" those photos were taken with the new Nikon SLR camera. Putting it on to 'multi-frame' mode makes taking photos of moving objects like storm clouds a lot easier - point and 'Click!', 'Click!', 'Click!', 'Click!', 'Click!',

ps - As I walked down my backyard today and also as I drove around town doing my errands I noticed that all the decidious trees are shedding their leaves! They must think its Autumn already!