Thunder
Downunder 2001!
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Today was an experience to be had, we had to get a new tyre in the morning before visiting the library again for internet access to see where to head. We had to move either west of south, or stay where we were. We decided to opt for the westward option and stop near Mithcell - we could access the internet if required again to see what was happening. Although visbility was slightly better than the day before, so it wasn't too bad. We were a little later this time due to the tyre, but about 50km west of Roma we saw a noticable convergence line sitting over Mitchell - it was very defined! I had never seen such a defined convergence line before actually!
CJs and turkeys going up on the convergence line We had originally thought we could sneak in the luxury of an airconditioned net cafe that cells ice cream, but that was to be short lived - we had to head back towards Roma to stay ahead of the convergence line. Cells eventually started developing - but one cell to our NW put out a massive anvil, but wasn't producing all that much. We decided to head south to some updrafts there going up in clear air, the updrafts were very explosive!
We watched cells to our west and south, most of the cells were moving E or SE, they were producing frequent CGs at times on the outside of their rainshafts, it was quite good to watch! We headed a little further south and watched a cell to our west slide SE. We sat under anvil rain for a bit - massive drops! Interesting inflow patterns too into the cell, it was trying to do something - but didn't.
Flangest starts! A few CGs from the first storm
Scattered cells were
developing into widespread cells, we debated whether to head north again
(which had recently cleared), or head closer to the cells to try and get
some better CGs (rather than at a distance). We decided to get closer
- and that's when the 'fun' started! The number of flangs was phenomenal,
we had cells going over us for 1.5hrs - we also had chaser convergence
with James Harris and Matt Smith! Who drove by as we were pulled
off on the side of the road taking video. The CGs and flangs kept
coming, at times hitting the power poles and trees all around us!
An assortment
of close CGs from Flangest. Click here
for more captures!
Sometimes flangs would roll into other flangs - and when the rain lightened off a bit thunder was constant from the CGs around us (some of there were more distant, within a few kilometres). Sitting in the car and watching a 6ft high CB aerial wave about in the wind was quite disconcerting when you're having CGs striking within 50m! But fortunately the seemingly inevitable didn't happen! This was the most amazing lightning show I had ever witnessed! I had never seen so many close CGs! It was simply awing, and it didn't really occur to me until after that we really should have left the area. But an MCS had formed over us, and it wasn't in much hurry moving, we slowly moved northwards as fresher cells developed and continued to got more and more CGs! One CG even had a bright blue glow for about two seconds on the ground!!! It was the first I had ever seen personally, presumably a power transformer blowing up/glowing! We headed back into Roma, before heading east behind the main MCS where we watched awesome CCs and crawlers across the back end of the storm - absolutely amazing!!!
We then stopped off in Miles for the night. Report by Anthony Cornelius & Andrew McDonald, all captures by Andrew McDonald |
