Why didn't I visit the Bureau of Meteorology website at lunch time before I set off to walk along the beach at Balmoral with Lorri this afternoon? I knew bad weather was a possibility and yesterday should have been warning enough. I did look out the window and though there were dark as well as dusky pink clouds, the sun was shining intermittently ... and seeing is believing ... for the myopic.
As I left the carpark, I noticed that the sky immediately ahead was quite dark but a storm still seemed somewhat distant. A police van came rushing up beside me with a flashing "merge right" warning that didn't at all seem to apply to me. And as I was stopped at the traffic light waiting to turn left I saw another police vehicle of the "riot and disorder protection" variety come up the street the other way. At the traffic lights, a couple of very large rain drops splatted the windscreen. By the time I got round the corner and turned again on to the motorway on-ramp, rain was bucketing down. Three more police vehicles were parked on the left of the motorway but a digital display warning of a speeding blitz seemed explanation enough (so I still can't be sure whether these were storm troopers or speed troopers). By this time, visibility was sufficiently impaired by the lashing rain that I began to wonder whether I should just turn for home immediately - but downpours in Sydney are often here and gone in a flash.
So I continued on my way. After another 100 metres, the vehicle directly in front of me was almost invisible, and concerned about the possibility of hail damage to my new car, I headed for the nearest undercover supermarket parking where enough people had had the same idea that I had to queue to get in. By the time I was straddling the entrance kerb, I was seriously concerned that the rushing stormwater would flood my car. But I got into the garage, found a parking and went up to the street ... by which time the rain had slowed enough that I could run across the street and into the shops without really getting wet.
I did the minimum amount of shopping required to get me out of the carpark without paying and called my friend to say I would be a little late for our appointment as a result of having sheltered from the storm. Her partner has just called her from the city to warn that a terrible hail storm had passed over the city and was headed who knows where so we decided to postpone our walk on the beach. After waiting another 15 minutes during which there was another short, sharp rain shower, I deemed the blue sky and fluffy white clouds innocent enough to proceed home in the car. No need to tempt fate.
There is still the possibility that it will rain (and more) on Prince Charles' and Camilla's parade when they visit the Opera House this evening but I hope not as Richard is flying home from Melbourne right now. The Royals were out in the storm. Camilla, as she is generally irreverently called in Australia, was being appointed Colonel in Charge of the military police (what a weird choice of honour to bestow on someone ... perhaps the weather gods were expressing their view on this). I am left wondering whether the riot and disorder police van was on its way to protect Camilla from the populace or the populace from the storm. Meanwhile Prince Charles was lucky enough to be watching a wool fashion parade and basketball at Bondi (I wonder if Camilla questions why he gets to do all the fun things while she has to ...).
Back home I discovered that lightning had struck signalling equipment at Milson’s Point (where we will be living in a few weeks' time and just five minutes away in the car), leading to delays on trains heading into the city. And I was grateful for once again missing the real action by a squeak ... and getting a free car wash.
The Swiss Meteorological Service has lots of interesting data about the realities of extreme weather events and presents it well. But it still leaves you wondering whether storms are really getting more extreme or whether it's simply that there is instant news and so much hype around every big weather event that it feels like it's getting worse. And what about the storm clouds gathering on the very distant horizon as we learn more (or more or less more) about our astro-neighbours and stormy weather where they are.
As I left the carpark, I noticed that the sky immediately ahead was quite dark but a storm still seemed somewhat distant. A police van came rushing up beside me with a flashing "merge right" warning that didn't at all seem to apply to me. And as I was stopped at the traffic light waiting to turn left I saw another police vehicle of the "riot and disorder protection" variety come up the street the other way. At the traffic lights, a couple of very large rain drops splatted the windscreen. By the time I got round the corner and turned again on to the motorway on-ramp, rain was bucketing down. Three more police vehicles were parked on the left of the motorway but a digital display warning of a speeding blitz seemed explanation enough (so I still can't be sure whether these were storm troopers or speed troopers). By this time, visibility was sufficiently impaired by the lashing rain that I began to wonder whether I should just turn for home immediately - but downpours in Sydney are often here and gone in a flash.
So I continued on my way. After another 100 metres, the vehicle directly in front of me was almost invisible, and concerned about the possibility of hail damage to my new car, I headed for the nearest undercover supermarket parking where enough people had had the same idea that I had to queue to get in. By the time I was straddling the entrance kerb, I was seriously concerned that the rushing stormwater would flood my car. But I got into the garage, found a parking and went up to the street ... by which time the rain had slowed enough that I could run across the street and into the shops without really getting wet.
I did the minimum amount of shopping required to get me out of the carpark without paying and called my friend to say I would be a little late for our appointment as a result of having sheltered from the storm. Her partner has just called her from the city to warn that a terrible hail storm had passed over the city and was headed who knows where so we decided to postpone our walk on the beach. After waiting another 15 minutes during which there was another short, sharp rain shower, I deemed the blue sky and fluffy white clouds innocent enough to proceed home in the car. No need to tempt fate.
There is still the possibility that it will rain (and more) on Prince Charles' and Camilla's parade when they visit the Opera House this evening but I hope not as Richard is flying home from Melbourne right now. The Royals were out in the storm. Camilla, as she is generally irreverently called in Australia, was being appointed Colonel in Charge of the military police (what a weird choice of honour to bestow on someone ... perhaps the weather gods were expressing their view on this). I am left wondering whether the riot and disorder police van was on its way to protect Camilla from the populace or the populace from the storm. Meanwhile Prince Charles was lucky enough to be watching a wool fashion parade and basketball at Bondi (I wonder if Camilla questions why he gets to do all the fun things while she has to ...).
Back home I discovered that lightning had struck signalling equipment at Milson’s Point (where we will be living in a few weeks' time and just five minutes away in the car), leading to delays on trains heading into the city. And I was grateful for once again missing the real action by a squeak ... and getting a free car wash.
The Swiss Meteorological Service has lots of interesting data about the realities of extreme weather events and presents it well. But it still leaves you wondering whether storms are really getting more extreme or whether it's simply that there is instant news and so much hype around every big weather event that it feels like it's getting worse. And what about the storm clouds gathering on the very distant horizon as we learn more (or more or less more) about our astro-neighbours and stormy weather where they are.
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