An early and frustrating beginning today despite the anticipated instability. It seems at least briefly that upper level warming may have delayed development. Drier air mixing out the lower levels may have also contributed to storms developing and collapsing earlier. Eventually a storm did come through during the late afternoon and evening from the northwest. This view from Windsor showed a little organisation. Jeff Brislane was onto development as it moved further southeast with inflow features.
Regards,
Jimmy Deguara
I caught the early stage of the cell that moved south east towards Campbelltown. I couldn’t video the best part of that storm and I couldn’t chase with family duties calling me away but it was nice to the south of Penrith and had inflow bands and lots of lighting. Others have probably documented that stage elsewhere.
Jeff,
The base features strengthen throughout the video. This southern development must have intensified as the northern development weakened.
Jimmy
More images on this day. The way storms were developing initially and the low bases had me excited but that excitement was short lived.
Regards,
Jimmy Deguara
I remember taking a flexi day from work and undertaking a storm chase around Marulan. Mid afternoon, a thunderstorm built to the north west of town which delivered a heavy downpour. Following that, I followed the storm from Brayton back towards Marulan then north east towards Mittagong. Near Mittagong, the storm developed even further but moved into an area east of town with no roads. I found a vantage point just north of Braemar and took a sequence of photos looking east. I provide my favourite photo of the storm cell.
Shortly after, a new cumulo congestus cloud built up in front of it then merged with the parent storm. The storm cell went into decay. Roughly one hour later, there was little evidence of storm activity in the area other than remnant anvil cloud, cirrus cloud and alto stratus cloud.
Towards evening on 16 March, I observed a storm cell to the far north west of Mittagong and made an attempt to chase it. I realized that it must have been travelling east or south east and I thought that I may have a chance of catching it. I drove north east from Mittagong (Actually the suburb of Braemar) and intercepted the storm at Camden.
I found a suitable vantage point but had little chance of filming the thunderstorm. I saw significant cloud to ground lightning strikes from it. I just set up my camera and about to film it but two powerful cloud to ground lightning strikes close by ended any chance of being out the car. I quickly returned to the car. I decided to drive around Camden then back onto Narellan Road. The core of the storm passed overhead delivering gales, hail (unsure of the size), heavy rainfall and cloud to ground lightning. I remember driving through two intersections controlled by traffic lights which were blacked out by the thunderstorm.
This storm was moving at speed south east but it appears to have weakened further south east of Campbelltown. It made driving difficult as it passed overhead. I have limited photos of it but managed to obtain the one attached to the post below.