EXTREME WEATHER: Dust Storm Hits New South Wales And Victoria, Australia!

Gusts of up to 67km/h were still being felt as the thick dust moved in

May 7, 2015 - AUSTRALIA - Red dust covered much of northwestern Victoria and the west of New South Wales yesterday, making its way into the border city of Mildura, Victoria, shortly after noon as gale force westerly winds culminated with a dust storm.

A cold front moved rapidly through western and central Victoria on Tuesday morning before weakening in the east in the afternoon.

The Bureau of Meterology issued a severe weather warning for numerous districts, including the Mallee, late on Tuesday as damaging winds swept across the state.

Dust storm, Australia.

Mildura weather station recorded a peak gust of 69 kilometres an hour about 11.41am. Gusts of up to 67km/h were still being felt as the thick dust moved in.

A sharp drop in temperature coincided with the dust storm, falling almost five degrees between 12pm and 12.27pm, to 14.5C, with the 'apparent temperature' as low as 7.1C a few minutes later.  - Stock Journal.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Daytime Meteor Fireball Blazes Over Melbourne, Australia!

File illustration.

February 26, 2015 - MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - Lucky skywatchers who spotted a rare daylight meteor streaking across the Victorian sky might never see one again in their lifetime, said one astronomer.

Reports of the burst of flame across the blue sky started flooding through on social media at about 10.30am on Wednesday, with one describing it as a "fireball asteroid".

Astronomical Society of Victoria spokesman Perry Vlahos said he had heard reports of the sighting across the state, from Mildura to Wangaratta to Melbourne.

"It appears to have come in from the western sky burning with a bright orange colour and leaving a white trail behind it," he said.

Mr Vlahos said the soaring fireball was probably a space rock that has been pulled in by the Earth's gravity and burned up in the atmosphere.

The flaming rock did not hit the ground, he said, meaning it was a meteor as opposed to a meteorite.

Spotting a daylight meteor is considered to be quite rare, due to the energy required to light up the sky when competing with the sun.

The main difference with night-time meteors, known widely as shooting stars, is the size. Mr Vlahos said a meteor visible at night could be as small as a grain of sand or an apple pip.

"For something to be seen during daylight hours, it's got to be a little bit larger than that. I'm suggesting it might be about the size of a walnut, up to the size of a cricket ball."

Mr Vlahos said this meant the skywatchers looking up at the right time on Wednesday were very lucky.

"It is very rare that they saw it. I would say those that did wouldn't see another one in their lifetime," he said.  - The Age.

EXTREME WEATHER: Victoria Set To Face Some Of Its Worst Fire Conditions Ever - Temperatures Above 40C!

January 02, 2013 - AUSTRALIA - Victoria is set to experience some of its worst fire conditions since Black Saturday, with most of the state expecting temperatures above 40C on Friday, as well as fresh northerly winds. 

Victoria is set to experience some of its worst fire conditions since Black Saturday, officials say. AAP.

In Victoria's northwest, Mildura is tipped to have six days in a row above 40C.  Country Fire Authority (CFA) state duty officer Brett Boatman says abundant growth in the dry grasslands and drying forests mean there will be a very high fire danger.  He said conditions will be extreme in the southwest and very high in other areas.  "It is certainly one of the higher fire danger days I have seen since Black Saturday, no doubt," Mr Boatman told AAP.  "We have had a couple of quiet fire seasons and reasonably damp summer last year, a good winter, abundant growth, especially in the grasslands. 

"There is a lot of fuel out there. So then you add that into the hot, dry weather we are experiencing at the moment; that brings together all the elements that bring about severe and extreme fire conditions."  Mr Boatman said it was likely there would be total fire bans but he does not expect a code red day to be declared.  He said with a lot of people on holidays it was important they understand the conditions in the area they are in.  Melbourne is tipped to reach 39C on Friday, with Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Dean Stewart predicting many suburbs would likely hit 40C.  He said while Melbourne would have cooler weather on Saturday and Sunday, the change would not have any impact north of the Great Dividing Range.  Mildura's six-day hot spell will begin on Thursday and peak with a 45C day on Tuesday.  In the state's northeast Yarrawonga is expected to have five days above 40C. - Herald Sun.

EXTREME WEATHER: Mercury Soars & Rises Past 45C in Victoria, Australia - The Hottest November in More Than a Century!

November 29, 2012 - AUSTRALIA - Victorians have sweltered through the hottest November day in more than a century with the temperature soaring above 45C in some parts. Many rushed to beaches in a bid to cool down. But it wasn't all fun in the sun, with grass fires breaking out in Victoria's northwest. In Melbourne, the mercury crept towards 40C, with a high of 39.2C recorded at 6pm.

The state's hotspot was Mildura, where a maximum of 45.5C was recorded. That beat the state's previous November record of 45C, which dated back to 1905 in Mildura.  The biggest grass fire was near Baringhup, close to Maryborough, which spread over 200 hectares after starting about 3pm (AEDT) before being contained.  The Country Fire Authority also dealt with a blaze at Lillicur, 8km west of Talbot, which burned 20 hectares of grass and bush.  There were also grass fires in Edenhope, one near Avenel which caused smoke that disrupted traffic on the Hume Freeway, a plantation fire at Dartmoor and a four-hectare fire at Murtoa.  A CFA spokeswoman warned dry lightning could hit in the west of the state on Thursday evening, which could cause further problems.  Total fire bans are in place in the Mallee and Wimmera districts, with farmers, particularly in the state's northwest, warned of extreme fire risk.  Ambulance Victoria said it had dealt with 25 reports of heat-related illness by 4pm and an additional eight cases where children had been locked in cars, including a three-year-old and a two-year-old in Greensborough.

That was despite peak motoring body RACV warned motorists never to leave children or animals inside cars.  CitiPower customers in Melbourne's CBD and inner suburbs were hit by power outages, with 2500 homes losing power at some point on Thursday.  Some 1300 Powercor customers in central and western Victoria, and Melbourne's western suburbs, also experienced outages during the day.  In St Kilda East, a driver suffered minor injuries when a power pole exploded, causing his windscreen to shatter but authorities aren't sure if the incident was heatwave-related.  It was an uncomfortable journey home for some Melbourne workers.  Commuters faced delays on a number of Metro train lines because of issues unrelated to the heat, after balloons floated into overhead cables near busy Southern Cross Station and a signal problem at Caulfield. - Herald Sun.