THE temperature dropped almost 13 degrees Celsius in just half an hour on Monday afternoon as a massive storm struck the Bathurst region.
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Almost half the average rainfall for March fell the in space of just a couple of hours after the skies opened about 2pm.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s official weather station at Bathurst Airport recorded 25.8mm of rain between 2.30pm and 4.30pm after the temperature dropped from a steamy 26.4 degrees Celsius at 2pm to just 13.5 degrees at 2.28pm.
The drop in apparent temperatures was even more stark.
At 1.30pm the bureau reports that it felt like a rather summery 27.8 degrees Celsius in the heat of the day; by 2.27pm the apparent temperature was a very wintry 5.9.
Meanwhile, the rain caused its share of chaos across the city with reports of shops being inundated on Vale Road and Keppel Street, a blackout at Kelso High and a traffic jam on Suttor Street as parents arrived at West Bathurst Public School for the afternoon pick-up.
Bathurst Regional Council also issued a warning to drivers to take care on local roads with some reports of minor flooding.
Council crews are currently responding to reports of flooding on Vale Road, Eleven Mile Drive, Ophir Road and several others, and a council spokesperson has reminded motorists not to enter floodwater.
