SOAKING, heavy rains over the last week has helped Queanbeyan avoid its driest summer since 1982, with 30-40milimmeters of rain falling on Wednesday afternoon across the Queanbeyan region, and a further 50mms over the weekend.
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Weather bureau meteorologist Sean Carson said that now puts us about 25mms above the monthly rainfall average for February, although chasing about 50mms of rain in the next fortnight to meet the long-term summer rainfall average.
Winds of up to 75km/h buffeted the region on Wednesday afternoon and an intense storm dumped rain across Queanbeyan prompting downed tree branches, power outages and traffic disruptions as lights went out along Monaro Street.
Paramedics and police attended an accident at Queanbeyan Public School at around 3pm that afternoon and transported a mother and her young son to hospital after they were struck by a falling tree branch.
The mother had been waiting for after-school pickup along the eastern side of the school and was holding her baby when the tree branch fell and injured her.
Queanbeyan Public School Principal Kym Hawes told The Queanbeyan Age that she believed the woman and her child had suffered only minor injuries in the accident, which occurred prior to the final school bell. No school children witnessed the accident, she said.
"You don't want anything like this to happen, but timing-wise, at least all the children were still in class," she said.
Queanbeyan police confirmed the mother was taken to Canberra Hospital with head injuries, while the young boy was taken to Queanbeyan Hospital with an injured arm. Members of the Queanbeyan SES attended the school shortly afterward to remove the fallen branch.
