Hopefully this stays active for a little while, this is what has happened at Mirboo North, about 35Km/20Miles from home as crow flies during the storm front that left us without power for 2.5 days. Town has been blasted apart, 100's of km of powerlines down, buildings destroyed etc. Those that have been through describe it as like what we see of tornado damage or a war zone. Just glad it wasn't us.


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-15/ ... /103464648

Wow. That’s awful damage from a thunderstorm.

Just horrific. Glad you’re ok.

A couple of youtube clips from the storm



this one from Mirboo North, from a dsahcam, complete with hail,



this one from Melbourne

That is way too close for comfort @Whwoz . So glad it missed you!

bower wrote: ↑Fri Feb 16, 2024 6:58 am That is way too close for comfort @Whwoz . So glad it missed you!

Could not agree more @bower

How horrible for the community and surrounding areas affected! I hope they will get enough aid to clean up and reconstruct quickly.

Lots of damage for a place not used to such things and all the people suffering.

I'm glad you're safe.

I often wonder how the buildings held up in West Texas during these crazy storms.
Came out of the derrick the wind got to blowing so hard one time.

Blowing the blocks completely out of the derrick and crashing back into it.

stay safe..

That was waaaay too close for comfort, @Whwoz. Sure glad you're OK. I wonder if it was a derecho or downburst that hit. They can cause as much damage as tornadoes.

A few years back a derecho hit the north side of Baltimore where my brother lives and tore up a pretty large area. They too were without power for several days and it was coincidental that the crew that restored their power lines in his back yard was one that had come up from Georgia to help!

@GoDawgs , have not heard of a derecho storm before, so looked it up. Sure sounds like it, although the BOM here was talking microburst at one stage, but considering the distance over which damage has occurred to classify the system as a derecho storm may well be appropriate, With Mirboo North the worst part of it, maybe due to the lie of the hills around the town?

Damage at our place was minor, with about a dozen tomato stakes broken off, the frame that I have used for climbing beans and peas partially blown over and a couple of metal International bulk container (1000lt bulkies) bases blown off the stack while I was watching. Furthest one was blown was about 20 meters/22 yards.
Tomato patch showing broken stakes. Plants all ok, just put a second stake in beside the first.
Broken down frame, very surprised at how quickly the uprights had rotted in the ground. Just glad that it is empty, would never stand it upright with a full crop on it.
Showing where the IBC bases flew, one photo each way
Shade cloth cover over the bees to help keep them a bit cooler, one end of the timber attached to the shade cloth rests on the IBC to right of photo, the other is inserted into a pallet opening on the left. This had been blown down earlier in the day and I put it back in place adding 2 3.6m/12ft 220x50mm/8x2in sleepers on top, which was enough to prevent movement when the front came through. If the bees are showing signs of heat stress, I run a couple of watering cans of water over this, which evaporates, cooling them.

Whwoz wrote: ↑Fri Feb 16, 2024 9:02 pm @GoDawgs , have not heard of a derecho storm before, so looked it up. Sure sounds like it, although the BOM here was talking microburst at one stage, but considering the distance over which damage has occurred to classify the system as a derecho storm may well be appropriate, With Mirboo North the worst part of it, maybe due to the lie of the hills around the town?

One sign of a possible approaching derecho or downburst is a very distinct forward bulge in a storm line on the weather map. Bulges on the weather map are never good things.

Just so as you know derecho means straight ahead in Spanish.
My area gets them on average according to the map once every 4 years.
But that's just the average.
I've lived all my life in the areas these things occur from southern Missouri south east Oklahoma and several places in Texas.
When I see that line on the radar I get worried.
Official derecho or not.
Another sign for these huge storms is the wind will blow towards the storm as it sucks in warm moist air into cold dry air feeding the things.
I've seen or beloved Texas horned lizards burying themselves up in the sand before the storm hits.
They must detect the pressure drop or something.