http://webmail.bellsouth.net/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+mobmain?2007-02-05 06:11:15 - Hailstorm - Australia
GLIDE CODE: HS-20070205-9714-AUS
Date & Time: 2007-02-05 06:11:15
Area: Australia, State of Victoria, , Bendigo ( MAP)
Description:
Cattle froze to death in a dam and grapes were stripped from their vines when a severe thunderstorm swept across homes and properties near Cargo Road last Thursday night. The Koolabah property west of Orange lost at least four cows that became trapped in a dam filled with hailstones and debris, according to manager, Ken Heydon. There may be more dead cattle beneath the surface of the ice which was still frozen and spilling over the top of the dam at midday Friday. The animals had become stranded on one side of the dam and became hopelessly bogged attempting to walk across the surface. They appear to have frozen to death. Mr Hayden says he has never heard of anything like it before and there is now considerable work and money required to repair the damage and remove the dead animals. Orange McDonalds propreitor Joanne Lewis says she returned to her home near Cargo Road to find her grandchildren's trampoline had been blown onto the roof. SES crews were called out to Cargo Road from about 7.30pm to conduct traffic control while Cabonne Shires grader was called to remove hailstones from the road. Mr Hayden said the storm devastated Koolabah's pastures with all the manure, mulch and seed in the soil being swept into dams which will now have to be excavated. Carrington Vineyards owner Ben Mcpherson said he may have lost as much as 70 per cent of his crop but has not had time to survey the full extent of the damage.
“We had hail stones about a centimetre in diameter come in a strip, mostly across our place. It's stripped a lot of the leaves and bunches of grapes off the vines.” Mr Mcpherson believes run-off from his property may have contributed to the problems next door at Koolabah. The storm brought very localised falls with private readings in East Orange of 14mm compared to 11.6mm at Orange Agricultural Institute but nothing at Orange Airport. Farmers on Cargo Road estimate about 10 to 15mm but can't be certain as hailstones and strong wind smashed or overturned rain gauges. Justin Byrne of Canobolas-Smith Wines and James Sweetapple of Cargo Road Wines both say they received small amounts of hail and believe they were on the edge of the storm. The Bureau of Meteorology reported signs of weather instability across much of western New South Wales and issued a hail warning last night. They believe Orange caught the southernmost tip of the storm.
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thunderstorms ain't what they used to be
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