A few thunderstorms crossed the Illawarra this afternoon. The day had been warm with temperatures reaching about 30 degrees Celsius. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued by the Bureau of Meteorology at 3:31PM. The warning indicated that there could be flash flooding, hail and damaging wind.

The storm arrived about 4.00PM and there was heavy rain. About 25mm fell in the first wave and that was accompanied by hail. I managed to capture a short video and a few stills as the hail hit the back deck.

It was not as heavy as the deluge in December but I kept a vigil on the area underneath the home. We still have one more stormwater diversion drain to build on the northern side of our home. I checked the Bureau of Meteorology web site again and a second warning had been issued at 4:20PM. The weather radar indicated that we should expect a second storm front. 

There was a break in the storm and a second thunderstorm crossed the region with quite a few lightning bolt and more heavy rain. There was some squally wind but it was not that bad. Overall we received more than 50mm of rain and our pool was topped up as well.

One would gain the impression that Australia must receive a great deal of rain but much of the continent is bone dry. The map below indicates the position of the Illawarra on the continent. The clouds associated with the storm are evident yet as you can see other than the seasonal low pressure systems across Queensland and the Northern Territory the continent is largely dry.