Australia Storm Book

Australian Severe Weather Storm Report Form

Please remember to complete all fields before submitting.

Your Contact Details:


Surname: Given names:
Address: street name and number:
Suburb or town: State:

Telephone number: home: Work: Mobile:
E-mail:


Storm Report:


1) The date and time that the storm occurred.

What date and time was the storm closest to you?
Month: Day: Year: Time (local time): Hours : Minutes: :

2) Your location at the time you witnessed the storm.

State: Nearest town: Approximate direction of this town:

Approximate distance in kilometers to this town: Kms.
Name of the highway or road you were on:

3) Storm details.

About what time did you first see the storm? Time (local time): Hours : Minutes: :

When you first saw the storm, approximately how far away from you do you think it was?

At this time, approximately what direction from you was the storm?

Did the storm appear to be moving towards you or away from you?

Approximately for how long were you watching this storm, from beginning to end? Minutes

Approximately what direction was the storm when you saw it for the last time?

Did the storm appear to be isolated (ie. Were there clear skies elsewhere?)? Yes No

Was the storm part of a line of storms? Yes No Not sure

Did the storm front appear as a smooth horizontal tube of cloud? Yes No

Did the storm front appear to have layers of smooth horizontal tubes?(ie. Having the appearence of horizontal rolls of cloud piled up)?Yes No

4) Phenomena.

a) Lightning. How intense was the lightning?


Thunder was heard.

b) Rain and hail. Check one of the following boxes according to what you think best describes the rain and possible hail with this storm (note that some rain is usually mixed in with hail).

Rain started out lightly and then became heavier and heavier as the storm came closer
Rain started out lightly, became heavier as the storm approached, and then turned to hail
Rain started after the storm front had passed over and quickly became very heavy
Rain started after the storm front had passed over and quickly turned to hail
Hail started immediately once the storm front had passed over
None of the above options best describes the situation

c) Hail size.

How large were most of the hailstones seen?

Approximately how large was the largest hailstone collected?

Approximately how long did the hail last? Hours : Minutes

Approximately how long did the heaviest rain last? Hours : Minutes

d) Wind speed.

Check one of the following boxes according to what you think best describes the wind that was associated with this storm:
The wind was insignificant with this storm
Initially there was little wind, but once the storm front had moved overhead, the wind intensity rapidly increased from the direction of the storm center. The wind was strong and steady (not gusting)
An area of dust or debris was observed at the foot of a rain curtain. It appeared to be curling up near the ground
None of the above options best describes what I saw

Approximately how long did the wind last? Minutes Seconds

Approximately how strong was the wind?
No wind
Light - leaves are stirred
Moderate - dust and leaves were swept away
Strong - whole trees swayed, small branches broke off
Gale force - trees and powerlines came down
Storm force - heavy objects (eg. cars, caravans) were overturned
Devastating - brick houses were destroyed

If you had an anemometer, what was the maximum recorded wind strength? Km/h

e) Cloud lowering, rotation or tornado sighting.

Were there clear signs of a lowered cloud base? Yes No Not sure

Did you notice any signs of persistent rotation in the cloud base? Yes No Not sure

Did you see a condensation funnel dipping down below the cloud base? Yes No Not sure

A tornado was observed. Debris was lifted and seen swirling around the funnel.

Did the condensation funnel appear to reach the ground? Yes No Not sure

How wide did the funnel appear?

Did the funnel appear straight or slanted from the cloud base to the ground?
No funnel (default setting)
Straight.
Bent.
Initially straight, later bent.
Initially bent, later straight.

5) Storm damage

i) Wind damage.

Select one of the following that best describes the damage you saw:
No damage.
F0 (65-117Km/h). Some damage to roofs, TV antennae bent. Tree branches broken, some shallow rooted trees overturned. Some roadsigns pushed over.
F1 (118-180Km/h). Metal roofs peeled off, caravans overturned, powerlines pushed over and small trees snapped.
F2 (181-253Km/h). Houses unroofed, weatherboard structures demolished, large trees snapped or overturned, cars overturned and small objects projected as missiles found embedded in walls, trees etc...
F3 (254-332Km/h). Brick houses partly destroyed and unroofed, most trees either snapped or uprooted, cars lifted and carried a few meters, trains overturned.
F4 or F5. (>332Km/h) Most structures completely destroyed, semi-trailers and trains lifted and carried for a short distance, trees and vegetation completely removed.

Approximately how wide was this damage path?

Did fallen trees or other tall and straight objects appear to have generally fallen: in same direction, in a divergent pattern, or in a convergent pattern (this may be difficult to see from ground level)?
No damage
Same direction
Divergent pattern (pointing appart)
Convergent pattern (pointing together)
Not sure

ii) Hail damage

Select as many of the following items that best describe the hail damage.
Vegetation defoliated (ie. Trees bare, leaf litter on ground).
Cars or metal roofing dented.
House windows broken or cracked, hailstones inside.
Car windows are cracked.

iii) Flood

Select as many of the following items that best describe the flood damage.
Drains are overflowing, roads flooding.
Creeks are swollen or overflowing.
Large objects are swept away by flood waters

Approximately how long was it before the onset of the flood?
Days : Hours : Minutes

Approximately how long was it before the flood waters subsided?
Days : Hours : Minutes

6) Your own comments and descriptions.
Note: it is advisable to type this up in a text editor first and then copy and paste it in. If the area provided is too small, please send it by e-mail to the address at the bottom of the page with the subject: "Storm Report". Thank you.


Thank you for taking the time to complete this storm report. Please take some time to check that all the entries are what you intended.
Please indicate if you are willing to be contacted by us.
I am willing to speak to you if necessary.

Please enter your Australian Severe Weather Society member number (to be implemented)

Click "Submit Report Now" if you have finished and have checked through everything.

If you feel that you have made a number of mistakes, you may want to start again.
Warning: clicking on "Clear All Fields" will clear everything you have entered:

Page written by Paul Graham, December, 1998.

All Storm reports go to the Australian Severe Weather home page

 

 

 

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