The remnants of Cyclone Pancho* swept through Melbourne yesterday. And, for some unfathomable reason, we went out in it.
Winds gusting to over 110 km/hr whipped up dust in the Mallee and carried it down to the metro area. Unlike the great storm of '83**, it didn't roll over town in an unbreaking wave. But the air was thick and red — and painful.
Trees toppled across the roads and railway tracks and on cars and houses. The wind tore off massive branches and hurled them at traffic. (Which made an exciting drive.) Power went off all over town. And then it rained. I'm still cleaning the slurry off my car.
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* Tropical Cyclone Pancho began as a low pressure system near Christmas Island early last week. It developed into a cyclone as it approached the WA coast but weakened as it travelled south. Passing Perth on 31 March, it then tracked east. And we got the left overs. (Well, so did South Australia and Tasmania.)
** I was out in that one too. I'm a slow learner.
