Structure of a northern Australian squall line system

A study is presented of a major squall system which affected large areas of northern Australia during 3-5 January 1981. At Darwin, this system produced a record January wind gust of 37 m s-1 The large-scale environment in which the squall system developed is described and some factors contributing to Its formation are detailed. The mesoscale structure of the system at the time of its passage through Darwin is examined within the framework of the models developed by Zipser (1977) and Houze (1977). The extreme wind gust is attributed to a 'microburst’ as described by Fujita (1978).