RAIN RAIN RAIN

So after nearly no rain this year (how do you measure 0.2mm?) we finally get some - along with a very fierce storm.

Here’s the headlines and extracts from one news report (http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/traffic-alert-after-storm-hits-scores-of-traffic-lights/story-e6frg12c-1225844121008):

THE damage bill from yesterday's storms could reach hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Premier Colin Barnett.

Mr Barnett told media this morning that yesterday’s storms were the most severe weather conditions that state has had since 1994. He said the full impact of the storm was yet to be unveiled...

… Hailstones the size of golf balls and flooding damaged Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital…

…Meanwhile, Joondalup hospital suffered significant damage as well.
About 20 people were evacuated from an emergency department last night after a partial ceiling collapse.

A landslide near Jacob’s Ladder in Kings Park also caused major damage to two ground floor units in the Adelphi apartment block and two cars but all residents are accounted for…

...MOTORISTS are warned to take care this morning with more than 80 traffic lights out of action after last night's storm and more bad weather to come…

…A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said yesterday's storm was one of the biggest in Perth for many years with wind gusts of more than 120km/h and 35mm of rain falling within about eight hours since 9am (12pm AEDT)…

…Western Power said the storm had cut power to about 150,000 customers, and a significant number of those customers would be without power today…

I live in the hills around Perth. We lost power about 5.30pm last night but it had been restored by the time I woke up this morning. Power to my place is generally flaky anyway so we have a generator and back-up batteries so we weren’t too badly off.

The lightening storm was pretty spectacular and the sunset was magnificent. I took some photos that I will check later and upload if they turned out.

My daughter was supposed to go to a birthday party this afternoon. This has been postponed for a couple of days as the birthday girl's house is flooded!

The below ground carpark at work resembles more of a swimming pool than car park, and one of our other offices lost its roof and telecommunications are out at a few branches.

Lots of staff are reporting significant hail damage to cars - apparently the "hail stones the size of golf balls" aren't an exaggeration.

But we got RAIN … wonderful, RAIN! The Bureau of Meteorology are saying that officially Perth recorded 35mm, some people are reporting as much as 70mm fell at their places overnight.

Oh, and more storms are forecast for today.