Wave Of Wet, Wild, Windy Weather Leaves Sydney Shaken And Stirred
Sydney Morning Herald
Sunday May 11, 1997
Roofs were torn from buildings and boats ripped from their moorings during a wet and wild weekend that also left 1,500 houses in eastern Sydney without power last night.
Winds gusting up to 105 km/h lashed the NSW coastline while Sydney had 81.4 mm of rain from 9 am on Saturday until 3 pm yesterday.
The rain was so isolated to the coastal fringe that Richmond, in the north-west, received just 2 mm overnight and remained dry on Sunday. The Bureau of Meteorology expects showers to ease today, with conditions becoming fine tomorrow.
Sydney Airport recorded the strongest gust of wind at 105 km/h shortly before 8 am yesterday, according to the bureau.
The roof of the Federal Airports Corporation building was blown across Keith Smith Avenue yesterday morning.
Flights were delayed because of strong cross-winds and small aircraft flights were cancelled. Passengers flying with Aeropelican to Newcastle were taken by bus from Sydney because of safety concerns about the winds.
Up to 1,500 houses in Sydney's east remained without electricity last night as crews struggled to restore power to homes at Coogee and Randwick, according to Mr Phil Neat, public affairs spokesman for Energy Australia.
Strong winds and falling branches left about 4,500 homes in Sydney's east and south without power yesterday morning. About 7,000 homes Statewide were blacked out on Sunday morning.
The downpour also forced the postponement of a top-grade rugby league match.
Newcastle were to play South Sydney at Marathon Stadium in Newcastle yesterday. But the game was cancelled when high winds made conditions at the waterlogged ground unsafe.
The weather also caused problems on Sydney roads.
The NRMA reported that 4,700 calls for help were made in the 24 hours to 5 pm yesterday, with waiting times of up to two hours.
The strong winds and rain were caused by moist air rising from an intense low pressure system off the coast of NSW, according to a spokesman for the Bureau of Meteorology. This came into contact with a high pressure system centred on Adelaide.
THE COASTAL DELUGE
CBD: 13.4 mm
Canterbury: 5mm
Riverview: 7mm
Penrith: 0.2 mm
Tocal: 33mm
Williamtown: 18mm
Norah Head: 17mm
Mangrove Mountain: 14mm
* Rainfall for 24 hours to 9pm Sunday
Forecast for coastal NSW: rain easing, becoming fine.
© 1997 Sydney Morning Herald