Sydney commuter chaos after power cable falls onto train
Photo shows When will rain ease?: a graphic map of weather in south-eastern NSW and an inset picture of a man in glasses
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ABC News
21 minutes ago
- ABC News
Aurora australis thrills light show chasers
Australian stargazers enjoyed a brilliant show Sunday night, with auroras illuminating the dark winter sky with pink and green hues. In areas as far north as Tamworth in New South Wales, clear skies aligned with a geomagnetic storm to show off a vibrant aurora australis that was visible to the naked eye. Astronomer Fred Watson said it was "quite unusual to see the aurora this far north", and that a particularly strong solar storm was behind its visibility. Auroras are caused by geomagnetic storms, which in turn, are triggered by ejections of material from the Sun into space. In a geomagnetic storm, atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere emit the bright, colourful lights that create auroras. "The more active the energy is, the closer to the equator it can be seen," Dr Watson said. Cressida Toorenburg was lucky enough to catch the light show in East Devonport, Tasmania after clouds parted overhead. "We sat for half an hour in the hope that the clouds would move away and then wow," she said. "There was Lady Aurora! It was breathtaking — you could see her with the naked eye, but much bigger and brighter through the screen on my phone." Ms Toorenburg said she has lived in the area for seven years and never seen an aurora as dazzling. "The colours were so beautiful and vibrant," she said. Separately, a meteor lit up Sydney skies about 6pm on Sunday. Australian National University astrophysicist Brad Tucker said Sunday's especially visible auroras were caused by a strong solar storm. "The bigger the storm that leaves the Sun, the more likely the aurora is to be on Earth and the stronger the aurora is," he said. He said aurora fans should get outside just after sunset Monday night for another chance to catch some colour. An updated geomagnetic warning published by the Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre (ASWFC) says increased activity is expected to continue until June 3. Monday's forecast carries a G-scale rating of 4 out of 5, which indicates a higher chance of a light show. The ASWFC, which is part of the Bureau of Meteorology, sends out geomagnetic storm alerts via email. If you sign up to the ASWFC alerts via this online portal, you'll get an email when there's an alert. Here are some more stunning photos taken of the aurora overnight.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Ferries cancelled, flights affected as thick blanket of fog descends over Sydney
Flights have been affected, ferries have been brought to a standstill and motorists are facing traffic nightmares from a thick blanket of fog which has descended over Sydney. Eerie pictures show fog blanketing the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Monday, reducing visibility to barely more than 100 metres during morning peak hour. Sydney Ferries suspended all voyages for a time. Flights have also been affected, with air traffic control spacing out arrivals and departures due to the poor visibility. Road users were being cautioned right across the metro area. 'Reduced visibility in fog will make road conditions dangerous during Monday in all suburbs,' an early morning Bureau of Meteorology alert said. However, by 8.30am the issues on the road had eased. 'The road weather alert for all suburbs has been cancelled, but the situation will continue to be monitored and further alerts will be issued if necessary,' an updated alert says. Despite conditions easing on the roads, ferries were not expected to operate. 'No Sydney ferries are running at all due to the heavy fog,' Sydney Ferries said on Monday morning. 'Make alternative travel arrangements.' However, as the fog lifted, ferries from began operating again, from about 9am, a Transport for NSW spokesman told NewsWire. Footage posted online shows the thick blanket of fog engulfing the city. While there are blue skies above the low level of fog, the mist covers city skyscrapers and landmarks. Video posted from what appears to be an apartment, at least 15 stories high, shows just the top of the Sydney Tower poking out. 'Most of the Sydney landmarks – Harbour Bridge, Opera House and even some of the Sydney Tower, are still asleep behind a blanket of fog. I think it's giving us a message for the start of the work week,' the video caption reads.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Erosion and topsoil loss after flooding in western Queensland
While parts of western Queensland have turned green following record flooding, other areas could take decades to recover after the top layer of soil, which is vital for pasture growth, was washed away. The sheer velocity and volume of the floodwater washed away up to 40 centimetres of topsoil, along with fencing, roads and livestock. "We've got big areas here that have just lost all the topsoil," Quilpie property owner Jon Mooring said. "There's great piles of silt that are half a metre deep." The Bulloo River cuts through the middle of Jon and Kerri Mooring's Quilpie property, and during the March floods the river and a lake on the property met for the first time in 10 years. "When the two systems got together, it (the water) was rising nearly two feet an hour and the road of that went on for nearly four nights past our house," Mr Mooring said. Four years of restoration and thousands of dollars of work were washed away in just a matter of days as a "sea of water" took over the landscape. He said it could take up to 20 years for the landscape to recover from some of the more extensive flooding damage, such as scouring and erosion. Topsoil is the top layer of soil on the ground, usually up to 20 centimetres deep, and is rich in nutrients and organic matter, making it essential for vegetation growth. Environmental damage like loss of topsoil, erosion and weed spread were often the longest lasting impacts of widespread flooding. Geoff Penton, operations manager at natural resources management group Desert Channels Queensland, said the impact of the floods varied. "In some areas, it's a great season and in other areas, it's devastating, and they can be literally feet apart," Mr Penton said. "There's many areas where the water, both the volume and the velocity, has stripped the topsoil off entirely. "Some places where that erosion is settled it's drowned pastures in a foot of mud." Mr Penton said it was likely to take "several seasons" to see pasture response, and it would be a long and expensive road to repairing the environmental damage. "What will help accelerate this is if we can secure some flood recovery investment from the state and federal government," he said. While he acknowledged the current funding options from the state and federal governments were a start, Mr Penton said attention would need to shift to recovering the environment. "The environmental recovery usually comes substantially later," Mr Penton said. "That's under consideration by both levels of government at the moment." The Queensland Reconstruction Authority said in a statement that $186.75 million in extraordinary assistance had been approved in response to the floods through joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). "The Australian and Queensland governments are working together to provide all support necessary for flood recovery in western Queensland," the statement read.
