Pollyana

QUEENSLAND could be facing a double-whammy wet season, as rain-bearing Pacific and Indian ocean weather events combine for the first time in 35 years.

The last time this happened was in the 1970s, when major flooding hit almost all the state. Just 30mm to 40mm of rain over the next 24 hours in the soaked 5554sq km Wivenhoe Dam catchment upstream of Brisbane should cause the storage to spill for the first time since February 1999.

Weather Channel meteorologist Tom Saunders said there was a strong chance Australia would experience simultaneous La Nina and Indian Ocean Dipole events. A La Nina and a negative IOD both tend to produce above average rainfall. The last event was in the early and mid-1970s, a period infamous for flooding and cyclones across Australia," he said.
"The best examples include Cyclone Wanda, which flooded Brisbane in early 1974, and Cyclone Tracy, which devastated Darwin in late 1974.
"With the waters off our northern coastline warmer than normal, we can also expect an active tropical cyclone season. The cyclone season tends to start a little earlier than normal and on average there are nearly twice as many impacts on the Queensland coast during La Nina than El Nino."

Pollyana

Have a look here - http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/commu...ment/index.htm
Brisbane did flood maps last year. Even if this year is as wet as the aftermath of Cyclone Wanda there's been an awful lot of mitigation work done since then, and a lot less places would be affected.
They still build in stupid places though, so check your street out on the flood map. Theres one apartment block thats down by the Royal Brisbane Hospital, the car park goes under every few months and even though its onkly about 4 years old its already had a serious flood through the ground floor cos its built in a daft place.

Pollyana

Seasonal Outlook 2010-11 for Queensland and the Coral Sea Region

Queensland may experience above average tropical cyclone activity this coming season, with up to six cyclones developing in the Coral Sea. It is also likely to be wetter than normal in most parts. The Bureau of Meteorology's Queensland Regional Director, Jim Davidson, said this is because we're now in a La Nina climate phase, which he expects will remain the dominating influence through the Spring and Summer months.
Mr Davidson said "What this translates to is where historically we could expect an average of four cyclones a season in the Coral Sea, we now expect the number to be potentially higher, but the number of cyclones actually making landfall can be quite variable from season to season."

"However, under these conditions, we have a good chance of a cyclone crossing the coast before the year is out." he said. He urged Queenslanders to "prepare early not only for cyclones but also for floods as we have already experienced record September rainfalls across the state."


For anyone wanting a good BE read on cyclones try this - Larry in the Lion's Den

Pollyana

Its not unknown, they usually become lows before they get this far south but its possible. Tropical cyclone Hamish early last year was on a course at one point to impact directly onto Brisbane, and you'll have heard of the floods of 1974, they were caused by Cyclone Wanda which actually came ashore just 150km north of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast.

Pollyana

Christmas in a disaster-prone world........

12 storms a brewing
11 roofs a leaking
10 rivers flooding
9 fires flared up
8 gales a blowing
7 tornadoes building
6 faults a quaking
5 tropical lows
4 Cat 5 cyclones
3 floodboat rescues
2 leaking tankers
And a tsunami heading this way.....

Pollyana

Authorities have expressed their frustration at the "selfish" behaviour of people in flood-affected communities who are ignoring their advice.
Police and rescuers are being kepy busy with parts of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria still under water as rain continues to bucket the south-east.
Several people from floodwaters in Queensland's Widebay-Burnett region have had to be rescued after heavy rain has caused localised flooding in the area.

District inspector Kev Gutteridge says people need to take more care.
"Yet again we're becoming very frustrated with the attitude of some motorists and some community members towards the threat of rising floodwaters," he said.
"We just actively encourage people to be very, very conscious - not only of the risk to themselves - but the risk that they pose to rescue workers who have to come and get them for their selfish actions."

Pollyana

I'm going to plug this message again as there is still a lot of water in many creeks and rivers, and the message never seems to get through to some people.........

Please teach your kids -
IT'S DANGEROUS TO PLAY IN OR NEAR FLOODWATER.
And with this much water around any normally peaceful placid waterway can become a death trap in seconds.

The body of a teenager who drowned in flash flooding at a Townsville creek yesterday will be recovered by police this morning. Despite the frantic efforts of her friends, she drowned in the rapidly rising water before emergency services reached the scene.

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The search for Nambour teenager Mitchell Edwards came to a tragic end when police divers located his body at Wappa Falls in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Divers found the 15-year-old's body about 4.30pm, a short distance from where he had jumped from a 5m rock wall on Wednesday morning. After leaping into the popular swimming hole, friends saw him resurface briefly before he was sucked under by the torrent.It brought the number of flood-linked deaths to four after a man's body was found inside a four-wheel-drive swept away early on Tuesday in north Queensland. It was the third vehicle to be swept away by floodwaters in the past week. On Saturday night an elderly man whose utility was swept off a flooded causeway in central Queensland was found dead 35km south of Rockhampton. And a woman, 55, died last week when her car was swept off a flooded roadway near Dysart, northwest of Rockhampton.

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SES crews and Queensland Fire swift water crews have to go out and retrieve these bodies, with assistance from QPS and QAS. Not a pleasant job, we hate getting reports of bodies being found and sad ends to searches.
And that's just the Queensland ones.......

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Emergency Management Queensland advises that people should:
* Avoid driving, walking or riding through flood waters.
* Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
* Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
* Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
* For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.

Bix

Excellent thread

Pollyana

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING - SOUTHEAST QUEENSLAND
for DAMAGING WIND, FLASH FLOODING and LARGE HAILSTONES

For people in the BRISBANE CITY, REDLAND and parts of the GOLD COAST CITY, LOGAN CITY, MORETON BAY and SCENIC RIM Council Areas.

Issued at 4:10 pm Wednesday, 15 December 2010.

The Bureau of Meteorology warns that, at 4:10 pm, very dangerous thunderstorms were detected on weather radar near Tamborine and Logan Village. These thunderstorms are moving towards the north. Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Beenleigh, Logan City, Ormiston and Camp Hill by 4:40 pm and Cleveland, Redcliffe, Mud Island and Sandgate by 5:10 pm.

Damaging winds, very heavy rainfall, flash flooding and large hailstones are likely.

Emergency Management Queensland advises that people should:
* Move your car under cover or away from trees.
* Secure loose outdoor items.
* Avoid driving, walking or riding through flood waters.
* Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
* Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
* Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
* For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.

The next warning is due to be issued by 5:10 pm.

A more general severe thunderstorm warning is also current for the Wide Bay and Burnett, Darling Downs and Granite Belt, Southeast Coast and parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields, Capricornia and Maranoa and Warrego districts.


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Reports of VERY large hailstones and numerous trees down in the Logan/Jimboomba/Bethania area, cells moving towards Brisbane City

Pollyana

Hail between golf and tennis ball size has been reported from the Logan and Bethania areas during the last hour.

11mm of rain in Gympie in 10 minutes at one point this afternoon.

DeadVim

It was a tad hectic ... I think we dodged a bullet though, no hail and still got power

Pollyana

I was thinking of you when the calls started coming in for Logan........lucky escape then!

Pollyana

Taken by a friend at Redcliffe this afternoon

DeadVim

I guess calls from Logan are usually along the lines of "We've run out of Bundy and the local bottle shop is closed".

But yeh, a decent escape and it topped up our pool with water and leaves in equal measure ... wasn't quick enough with the cover

Pollyana

The way the hail was coming down at least they had enough ice for their drinks