FRIDAY (October1) marked the official start to the storm season with some wild weather.
The welcome wet change brought with it up to 50mm in total and some property owners reported light hail as well during the storm on Friday night.
The storms were followed closely by Kirsty Hellmech who is a local weather tracker.
Kirsty said she focuses on getting only factual information about weather events.
“From a young age I have always had a passion for following weather events in particular severe weather,” she said.
“I am a registered storm spotter for the Bureau of Meteorology, and have been a storm chaser since 2009.
“It has been a great start to the season so far and I would like to say it is going to be a busy one, but we cannot really be sure since it is just the start of the season.”
The violent storms on October 31 last year brought record sized hail and made a huge impact on the community. For many people the picture of the path of devastation still remains with them and causes anxiety each time a storm is predicted.
“We did not have much impact on our property from last year’s storm, but I did see the damage all around the area, as I chased that storm and got caught in my car while it was hailing,” she said.
“It was heartbreaking to see the damage to the homes, cars and businesses in our area.
“That event alone has made people warier of storms, especially if hail is mentioned in any of the forecasts.
“It was a horrible event to go through, and even now when I talk to the local people about it, they are all still afraid of it happening again in the future.”
While there was no big hail in last week’s storms, the rain was welcome by many, with greener pastures and dams that are now full.
