SIGNIFICANT ILLAWARRA WEATHER EVENTS - SPRING 1999
24th October 1999 - Flash Floods cause several million dollars in damages. From 9am - 10.30am on Sunday the 24th October 199 a slow moving band of thunderstorms spawned by an East Coast low dumped heavy rain and hail in a short period of time. Typical of the falls Wollongong Airport AWS ( Albion Park ) recorded 25mm in 10 minutes at the height of the storm. This storm came on top of 36 hours of moderate rainfall that had given 50mm -100mm across most suburbs. Flash flooding was worst in the Figtree, Unaderra and Berkeley areas. Several houses were flooded in Figtree as creeks broke their banks. In Berkeley many cars were stranded as almost the entire stretch of Northcliffe Drive became a river.
Pictures above - The first shows the edge of the storm ( which is coming in from behind me ). The low cloud was just 100m off the ground. Lightning was active from this edge. Second picture is my street just after the storm, the gutter is running half a metre deep, the significance of this scene is that this street is only 100m long.
