Hail and waterspouts in Australian coastal cities

BOM has a brief description of waterspouts…..

Waterspouts are occasional visitors to tropical seas. They are a weak form of tornado and are not always associated with thunderstorms – often they develop at the base of smaller (cumulus) clouds which are rapidly growing. Waterspouts pose a danger to boaters, and can sometimes cause damage at the coast if they move over land.

They move clockwise as intense low pressure systems do in the SH. I was on the edge of this system but it looked very impressive as it moved North East, we had some hail but nothing like the Gold Coast. On June 3 , last year a waterspout moved over land at Lennox Head NSW, causing localised damage. As I type this, there is thunderstorm activity outside. Better go.

Chris,
It has been discussed at WUWT before, but Willy-Willy’s in Australia are not tornadoes or tropical cyclones, they are dust devils. There has been some conjecture that the term Willy-willy was derived from a aboriginal name which described a tropical cyclone, but these days a willy-willy is a term for the not infrequent dust devil.

Intense rain thunder and marble sized hail (I sectioned two but there was no discernible nucleus), it cleared, I fed the horse, and to the east was a patch of Mammatus clouds of which this is an example.

Len van Burgel says:
May 30, 2011 at 10:49 pm
Chris,
It has been discussed at WUWT before, but Willy-Willy’s in Australia are not tornadoes or tropical cyclones, they are dust devils. There has been some conjecture that the term Willy-willy was derived from a aboriginal name which described a tropical cyclone, but these days a willy-willy is a term for the not infrequent dust devil.
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Since I am apparently the only “Chris” within earshot of this post….please cite for me where I said “willy-willys” were tropical cyclones, dust devils, tornadoes, whirlpools, eddies, vortices, zephyrs….or anything of the like???
I was talking about the waterspouts on the dramatic footage shown.
Last time I checked (at least in the US) they are called waterspouts.
Now you guys might want to call them waterdevils….and that is fine.
Speaking of devils…..check out the whirling dervish dance of violent vortices before they suddenly combine and WHAM.
The most deadly tornado to hit the USA in half a century…is about to be born.
If there ever was a textbook description in video, of the term CYCLOGENESIS, it is this one:

Chris
Norfolk, VA, USA

In Australia waterspouts are just a thing of the past.
[Apologies for any typing copy errors]

Taranaki Herald – 7 February 1889
“A waterspout burst near Mansfield, when an indescribable scene occured. It swept everything before it, and a woman named King was drowned, her house being washed away.”
Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 5860, 9 January 1894
“A waterspout burst in the Cooma disrict at Coleringdon station, and 10 1/2 inches of rain fell in 20 minutes.”
Timaru Herald – 23 August 1895
“A waterspout passed over Rylestone. It burst about three miles from the town and tore through the bush, sweeping down trees and blocking roads for traffic.”
Thames Star – 14 February 1898
“A waterspout in the Bright district caused a flood, and considerable damage to roads and mining properties.”
The Pittsburgh Press – May 20, 1942
“The tallest waterspout on record was seen near the short of New South Wales, Australia, in 1898. It rose to a height of about 5000 feet.”

In Australia and NZ hailstones are a sign that the weather is getting weirder.
[Apologies for any typing copy errors]

Evening Post – 10 October 1870
“An unusually severe hail-storm passed over Westport recently, by which a number of sky-lights were quickly demolished.”
The Sydney Morning Herald – Nov 3, 1881
“……a hail-storm killed hundreds of sheep and levelled several fields of wheat.”
Nelson Evening Mail – 20 November 1893
“A terrific hailstorm has been experienced at Bathurst. Immense damage was done to crops, stocks, and property. The hail was of great size, and several persons were injured.”
Bay Of Plenty Times – 10 November 1899
“Sydney -Immense hail stones fell in some places and killed poultry, pigs and dogs. Melbourne – Great damage was done to property, crops and vineyards in many districts by the wind and hailstones.”
Feilding Star – 16 November 1901
“Disastrous Gale In Australia. Terrible Havoc. At Bacchus Marsh, during a heavy thunderstorm, hailstones fell as large as hen’s eggs, and 86 points of rain fell in 15 minutes.”
Marlborough Express – 21 November 1906
“Sydney – A plague rat has been found at Darling Harbour. Sever thunderstorms and destructive hail-storms have occurred in many parts of the State. At Binger the hailstones lay six inches deep. Windows were broken, and houses un-roofed.”
Nelson Evening Mail – 4 March 1909
“Terrific Cyclone in West Australia. Following four days of intense heat, the storm came with rain, accompanied by large hailstones and a cyclonic wind.”
New York Times – January 02, 1947
“Hailstones Pelt Sydney; Damage and Injuries High”
Saskatoon Star-Phoenix – January 9, 1947
“Hailstones three inches in diameter have fallen in Sydney, Australia. Southern Alberta will have to look to its laurels as hail-stone capital of the world.”

The Globe is warming so fast it’s causing tornadoes (or is that tornados) everywhere. It’s worse than we thought!

And now Ice circles are cropping up wherever there’s Global Warming……….and a video camera.

Oh, the humanity!

I’m the Chris that was talking about the Willy-willy. I understand the difference between tornado and dust-devil etc.. What I was referring to is the way the media, here in Australia, has started using the term mini-tornado to refer to what are actually only large dust devils (willy-willy). I suspect it’s classic stuff along the lines of mini-tornado (is there any such thing?) sounding so much more dramatic than ‘large willy-willy’ does. The media love the dramatic.