‘Dangerous’ storm dumps 50mm of rain on Junee in 30 minutes

THERE were wild scenes in Junee this afternoon, as a “very dangerous” thunderstorm dumped over a months’ worth of rain on the town in just 30 minutes.

The Bureau of Meteorology first issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Junee at 3 pm, warning of damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding.

The warning was upgraded at 4:07 pm to include “very dangerous thunderstorms” with “locally destructive winds” and “possibly giant hail”.

Screengrab of the Weatherzone weather radar at 4:15 pm

The storm opened up over Junee about five minutes later, unleashing strong winds and near white-out rain.

Rainfall totals varied across town, with one resident recording up to 59 millimetres (mm) in their backyard gauge off Park Lane in 30 minutes, while residents elsewhere recorded half of that.

The average December rainfall in Junee is just 41 mm.

It was the second downpour to drench Junee in as many hours, after a smaller cell dumped 10 mm of rain on the town in just 10 minutes about 2:30 pm.

The deluge caused widespread flash flooding, with water flowing across multiple roads throughout the Shire.

Water rises around cabins at Junee Tourist Park | © The Junee Bulletin

Stormwater covers the road in Lord Street | © The Junee Bulletin

The deluge caused local watercourses to rise rapidly | © The Junee Bulletin

Residents clear roads of fallen tree branches in Junee | © The Junee Bulletin

© The Junee Bulletin

© The Junee Bulletin

A number of trees were also brought down across the region, including across Goldfields Way near Temora after a 90 km/h tore through the area at 4:45 pm.

The NSW SES has received more than 120 calls for help across the Riverina.

The towns of The Rock, 30 kilometres southwest of Wagga, and Yenda, east of Griffith have sustained significant storm damage, with widespread power outages, uprooted trees and roof damage.

The NSW SES is urging people avoid these areas.

Significant damage was reported at The Rock | Image: NSW State Emergency Service

Significant damage was reported at The Rock | Image: NSW State Emergency Service

Significant damage was reported at The Rock | Image: NSW State Emergency Service

Upwards of 150 mm has now fallen across the Junee Shire over the past week, since last Friday, November 29.

Residents can breathe a sigh of relief however, with no further thunderstorms or rainfall forecast for at least the next 10 days.

Clear skies are set to return, with the muggy and humid conditions that have plagued the region for the past week to be replaced with more temperate weather.

Temperatures are forecast to drop back over the next week, with maximum daytime temperatures remaining between 27C and 31C until next Saturday.