The different faces of the North

Earlier this week I happened to pay attention to the weather forecast as I left for work in the morning. Normally the words from the radio announcers slightly amuse me and flow around me without leaving a mark, especially anything weather related. I generally feel, as someone originally from Melbourne, the weather will happen and generally whatever I have on that day will be good enough to deal with most variations.

So I normally don’t pay attention. On this day, Brisbane, a top of 30 degrees and showers and Melbourne, a top of14 degrees and rain.

This I do have to say tickled my fancy, Melbourne damn cold in November and Brisbane, every with an ‘unseasonal’ storm still ridiculously warm and nice. As it turns out Melbourne was a fine and dandy top of 7 degrees… CELCIOUS! And it snowed in few places in Victoria from what I heard. At the same time, it did get ridiculously hot that day in Brisbane, at least 30, however, the storm that came through was black on the up to the minute satellite overview and washed over where I worked.

My co-workers told me it was coming an hour or so in advance, there were all looking at the satellite readout. They then told me I should move my car to a place out of the weather, in case it hailed. An hour before the storm, all those spots were already taken… and more than a few people were trying to do similar things.

As the storm came through gusting winds were whistling through buildings and heavy rain was pounding on roofs. Then the sounds of the beat changed, hail was coming down. Weather veins were being blown this way and that. Heavy iron girders that held up thousands of volt wires were swaying and buckling in the gale. I was told to worry when the staccato beat on the roof got quiet, then the hail would be large and my car would be in significant danger of mutilation by the elements. Palm trees outside were being blow around, hail the size of dice were coming in at 45 degree angles. The storm blew through us in about one and a half hours, about 5 minutes after the storm, the sun came out and the temperature must have jumped up about 10 degrees.

Later I found out that the storm was a hairs breath away from turning into a tornado.

These kind of storms are common around this time of year, it’s where they get most of their rain from.

Crazy…

Still, better than 7 degrees in Melbourne :p