331 



eastwards over the far north-western parts of South Aus- 

 tralia, the 'low' was still centred south of Adelaide on Satur- 

 day, thus producing steep barometric gradients between the 

 Bight and our South-East coast. 



"Mild northerly winds marked the approach of the 'low' 

 on the 10th, and on that day the maximum shade readings 

 at several stations rose above 70°, the highest temperature 

 having been 73° at Fowler Bay. These mild winds were, no 

 doubt, drawn southwards from the tropics and heavily charged 

 with moisture. With the advent of the cold and strong south- 

 west winds, reported along the coast, west from Kangaroo 

 Island, on the 11th, combined with the cyclonic nature of 

 the depression, conditions were most favourable for the pro- 

 duction of thunderstorms, hail, and rain. 



"The weather became cloudy and unsettled on Thursday, 

 and by Friday morning light and general rain was recorded 

 south from Hawker, and hail was reported at Fowler Bay, 

 where the temperature had fallen 30°. At Adelaide an 

 exceptionally heavy shower with hail fell on Friday morning, 

 about 9 o'clock, and in the space of three minutes 24 points 

 were recorded (a rate of nearly 5 inches an hour). 



"The temperature, during the storm, fell to 46*2°, but 

 subsequently rose to a maximum of 5 7 "9° later in the day. 



"On Saturday morning the depression had further in- 

 creased in energy, but the trough of the 'low' was still 

 centrally situated south of Adelaide. During the day (12th) 

 the weather was very unsettled and wintry, and further hail- 

 storms, accompanied by thunderstorms, were experienced 

 over the southern and south-eastern parts of South Australia, 

 but more particularly over the Mount Lofty Ranges and the 

 southern portions of the metropolitan area. The hail was 

 exceptionally large; many pieces were the size of marbles, 

 while some were as large as pigeon eggs. 



"At Yankalilla a tornado was experienced between 8 and 

 9 o'clock in the morning. Other places on the Mount Lofty 

 Ranges experienced cyclonic storms of a violent nature during 

 the day as well as severe hailstorms. 



"At Adelaide the temperature after the passage of the 

 hailstorms fell to about 45°. The lowest barometer reading 

 occurred about 10 a.m. on the 12th, when the centre of the 

 'low' passed the meridian of Adelaide. The pressure then 

 rose, and by the following morning the depression was 

 centrally located over Tasmania. On Sunday (13th) the 

 weather was cold, with passing showers and squalls, and 

 during the night heavy and steady rain set in, and for the 

 48 hours ended 8.30 a.m. on Monday (14th), many stations 

 over the lower north, central, and southern districts 



