Damaging winds through the Victorian and New South Wales alps eased before dawn on Monday, and the Bureau of Meteorology cancelled its severe weather warnings for both states within an hour of each other. Thredbo Top Station recorded a gust of 120km/h at 2.26am.
Mount Hotham gusted to 113km/h at 1.25am and Falls Creek to 83km/h at 2.42am. The Bureau cancelled the Victorian warning, product IDV21037, at 5.03am, covering the East Gippsland, North East and West and South Gippsland forecast districts, saying damaging winds about the alpine peaks had eased. The New South Wales warning for the Snowy Mountains, IDN21037, was cancelled at 6.07am. No further severe weather warnings will be issued for this event in either state.
The wind has not stopped, it has stopped being severe. At 10.50am, Thredbo Top Station was minus 1.6 degrees with a north westerly at 56km/h gusting to 80, which the Bureau converts to an apparent temperature of minus 14.7. Mount Hotham was minus 1.7 and felt like minus 11.7. Falls Creek was minus 1.2 and felt like minus 10.8, with 0.2mm of rain since 9am.
One warning is still running. The Bureau renewed its warning to sheep graziers for the Snowy Mountains forecast district at 10.43am on Monday, product IDN29000, forecasting cold temperatures, showers and westerly winds through Tuesday with a risk of losses of lambs and sheep exposed to those conditions. The same warning was current on Saturday, issued at 4.40am, and Monday's bulletin is a renewal rather than a new event.
Marine wind warnings were renewed on Monday morning for Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland. The Northern Territory warning was cancelled. Hazardous surf warnings for the New South Wales and Queensland coasts were also cancelled overnight.
The advice attached to the Victorian cancellation asked people to stay away from fallen powerlines and to assume they are live, and to keep clear of floodwater, mud, debris, damaged roads and fallen trees. In New South Wales the State Emergency Service asked people to keep clear of fallen power lines, creeks and storm drains, and to watch for fallen trees on roads. Storm and flood assistance is on 132 500, and warnings for New South Wales are carried on the Hazards Near Me app.
Apparent temperature is what the Bureau calculates a person actually feels once wind and humidity are accounted for. At Thredbo Top Station on Monday morning that figure was 13 degrees below the air temperature, which is the number that matters to anyone walking above the treeline.
The next graziers bulletin for the Snowy Mountains is due by 5pm on Monday.
