NSW floods: Record deluge at Manning River in Taree as more heavy rain predicted
Unprecedented flooding has inundated the Manning River at Taree, surpassing its 1929 record of six metres early Wednesday morning, and waters are still rising. In 24 hours, NSW SES have responded to 892 call outs, including 130 flood rescues, with most in Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne
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The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
Weather tracker: Fierce thunderstorms and big hailstones hit parts of Europe
This week, large parts of Europe have been affected by a series of intense thunderstorms, bringing torrential rain, damaging winds, and large hail. Central France was particularly badly affected by the severe weather, as powerful storm systems swept south-westward across the country. The departments of Loire and Puy-de-Dôme were among the hardest hit, experiencing significant damage from a particularly violent supercell thunderstorm that produced hailstones measuring up to 6cm in diameter – larger than ping-pong balls. The storm system also generated flash flooding, strong wind gusts, and reports of a localised 'mini-tornado', leaving widespread damage to infrastructure and vehicles in its wake. The storms were fuelled by warm, saturated air rising from the Mediterranean clashing with cooler air descending from northern Europe. This temperature contrast created significant atmospheric instability. Additionally, the orographic influence of the Vosges and Jura mountain ranges probably contributed to storm intensification by enhancing uplift. The powerful supercell formed under conditions of high wind shear, where changes in wind speed and direction with altitude encouraged the development of a rotating updraft. These intense updrafts lifted raindrops high into the atmosphere, where they froze and coalesced into large hailstones before falling to the ground with destructive force. Meanwhile, southern China has once again experienced heavy rainfall, triggering landslides, emergency evacuations, and widespread disruption to transport networks across the region. In Quanzhou County, approximately 300 cubic metres of debris, including soil and large boulders, tumbled down a hillside, blocking a major roadway and bringing traffic to a standstill. In Guilin's Lingui district, rainfall totals exceeded 207mm on Monday alone, highlighting the severity of the ongoing weather system and its impact on the local infrastructure and communities. Canada is currently battling more than 200 active wildfires, primarily across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with approximately 2.3 million hectares burnt, most within the past week. At least half of these fires are classified as out of control, and have led to widespread evacuations. Thick smoke from the fires has significantly reduced air quality, spreading across a third of the US, and more recently have reached Europe. Hot, dry conditions, intensified by climate change, have been worsening the situation, and are expected to help fuel the fires over the coming days.
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
Wintery long weekend to deliver snowy start to Australia's ski season
The King's birthday long weekend could be the snowiest start to an Australian ski season in years, forecasters predict. Weatherzone said up to 70cm of snow could accumulate at the higher resorts by Tuesday evening, with at least 15cm to 30cm at lower resorts. A strong cold front in the Great Australian Bight will move in overnight, weatherzone meteorologists said, bringing with it dumps of snow. Jonathan How, from the Bureau of Meteorology, said south-east Australia can expect 'very cold' and windy conditions over the three-day weekend. Melbourne is forecast for a high of 15C on Saturday and a low of 6C on Monday. The weekend in Sydney should be mostly sunny with possible showers, with expectations of a high of 19C on Saturday followed by 8C on Monday, the bureau said. On Friday, a severe weather warning was issued for South Australia and south-west Victoria. Rain is predicted to break a record drought for the region. Damaging winds could top 90km/h on Friday, impacting parts of Victoria, including the Otway ranges and Mornington Peninsula. Gusts are predicted to increase and move into South Australia on Friday afternoon, reaching Adelaide and the Mount Lofty ranges. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The strong winds will continue on Saturday through Victoria and SA, the bureau said. The coldest weather will arrive in a second cold front, which will reach SA potentially on Sunday morning, bringing thunderstorms and hail. Adelaide has a predicted high of 17C on Saturday and low of 6C on Monday. Melbourne will not be impacted by the damaging winds on Friday, but the city will experience a strong wind chill and showers that will also reach the Yarra Valley and Macedon Ranges. The cold front will move into south-east NSW by Friday evening. How cautioned black ice will pose a risk over the weekend across NSW and Victoria. 'Take care if you are heading up to the slopes this weekend for the snow,' he said. Snow showers are predicted across the alps of Victoria and NSW, with snow levels in those regions predicted to drop to 1,500m by Friday. Snow levels will fall further on Saturday to about 1,150m. How said he expected high snow accumulation between 30cm and 70cm around alpine ski resorts, with the potential to move to lower regions. 'We may even see some blizzard conditions across some of those alpine peaks,' he said. On Sunday, snow levels are expected to fall to 800m in Victoria and NSW and 900m in western Victoria, including the Grampians. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion In Tasmania the snow level is predicted to drop to 1,000m on Saturday. Hobart is set for a chilly low of 4C on Sunday and maximum of 15C on Saturday. Despite what looks to be a snowy beginning to the ski season, a warm winter is forecast for Australia. Professor Emeritus David Karoly, from the University of Melbourne and the Australian Climate Council, said there is clear evidence of snow cover declining and snow season length reducing due to global warming. 'It's long-term warming due to human-caused climate change from burning fossil fuels,' he said. Karoly said last year's snow season started similarly to this year, with relatively good snow early on, but due to high temperatures and low snowfall there was not enough to maintain snow for the whole season. He said the impact of climate change from Australian and global emissions, with a new world record for climate pollution set in 2024, will cause continued decline in snow cover and snow season length until at least 2050 – the current target date for net zero emissions. 'By that stage there will be very, very few commercially viable ski areas in Australia even with increases in snowmaking on the resorts,' he said. He said lack of action from powerful countries like the US to reduce their emissions and the Australian government's expansion of the North West Shelf pas project 'will make it virtually impossible to meet its commitments for zero emissions by 2050'.
BBC News
15 hours ago
- BBC News
Australia: Bouncy castle operator cleared in tragedy that killed six children
An Australian bouncy castle operator at the centre of a tragedy in 2021 that killed six children and seriously injured three has been cleared of breaching safety laws.A court found Rosemary Anne Gamble, who runs the business Taz-Zorb, not guilty, ruling that the incident was "due to an unprecedented weather system" that was "impossible to predict".The victims, who were on a bouncy castle at a primary school fun day in Devonport, Tasmania, fell about 10m (33ft) after strong winds blew the castle skywards at a school verdict on Friday caused anguish among their families, with some crying out in court in disbelief, ABC News reported. Prosecutors had accused Ms Gamble of failing to anchor the castle adequately, but her defence argued she could not have done more to eliminate or reduce hazards that led to the Robert Webster agreed with the defence and found that the incident happened due to a dust devil - an upward spiralling vortex of air and debris - that was "unforeseen and unforeseeable"."Ms Gamble could have done more or taken further steps, however, given the effects of the unforeseen and unforeseeable dust devil, had she done so, that would sadly have made no difference to the ultimate outcome," the magistrate six children killed in the accident - Addison Stewart, Zane Mellor, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Peter Dodt and Chace Harrison - were aged between 11 and were all at a Hillcrest Primary School fair when the accident took place on the last day of term before the school holidays in December of the children were on the castle when the gales swept it up and flung it across the school oval. The sixth child, who was waiting in line, died after being struck in the head by the inflatable tragic accident shattered Devonport, a city on the north coast of Tasmania with some 30,000 Gamble was charged nearly two years after, in November 2023. Andrew Dodt, the father of one of the young victims Peter, said after Friday's verdict that "our hopes are just shattered now"."At the end of the day all I wanted was an apology for my son not coming home, and I'm never going to get it, and that kills me," he said in a statement to local media."I've been broken for a long time, and I think I'm going to be broken for a lot more."Ms Gamble's lawyer Bethan Frake spoke on her behalf, acknowledging that the incident has caused "scars that will remain for an extremely long time, likely forever"."I am a mother," she said, quoting Ms Gamble. "I can only imagine the pain that other parents are living with each and every day because of this terrible thing that happened.""Their loss is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life."
