Stormchase
21st November, 2009 |
Darwin is not
like any other place in Australia, with that said its difficult to measure the uniqueness
of the place, people do things differently, they drive differently and they drink
differently!. The roads are different and they drive bloody great big Semi Trailers around
like nowhere else on the planet and everybody seems to be having a great time...Its summer
every day the only difference in the seasons is the wet and the dry. Today is our first day on the ground chasing the Top End pre
wet storms and they can get very big. Today though we bag just a little storm but with a
kick in its tail ..enough to blow you over. We wander off to the east of Darwin in the
area known as "Window on the Wetlands" along the Jabiru road near 80klm east of
Darwin, this area has good viewing for 360 degrees. On a marginal storm day like today
activity tends to go off late usually after 3pm and today was a good example of how quick
a rather benign looking shower can turn into a brief severe storm with flash flooding and
microburst...It was all over in about 15 minutes...squall....flash flood...then
gone...lucky we had a camera.....
Report: Clyve Herbert
Photography: Jane ONeill / Clyve Herbert |
Humpty
Doo District Centre...about 60kms SE of Darwin...Funny name...nice location |
Famous
"where the hell is Noonamah?" location.....about 70kms SE of Darwin. Advertising
the local talent night...any takers? |
One of
the bloody great big semi trailers roaming the roads of the Top End |
Anywhere
in the Top End, every road can have a surprise...we were lucky we stopped before we met
this on the bridge.... |
The
Territorians have a new weapon against the cane toad...it's called the '5 wagon road
train' |
Adelaide
River, located about 120 kms south of Darwin is a unique location where you can get the
best barra and chips in the Territory |
BP
Station, Adelaide River for barra & chips - make sure you ask politely or you may be
refused service....... |
Fogg
Dam at the end of the Dry season, promising deep cumulus eventually gave 1.6mm! |
The
pre-wet season storms are fickle, but get under one of these and you may get 10 or 20mm |
An
approaching squall disturbs the bird wildlife (Fogg Dam) |
November
is known for the 'knock-em-down' storms..yours truly leans into a 40 knot squall from one
of these storms |
|
After
the squall, a 10 minute rain deluge with flash flooding |
A
flash flood that covered only 2 km of roadway |
Tug
boat Wyong, returning from the East Arm to Stoke Hill Wharf |