Trevski

I dont know about everyone else but im fed up with all this rain we are getting, my kids have been off school for five weeks ish and it seems as it has rained for all of their school holidays.
It feels as thou we have live in the UK with the the amount and the many weeks that we have had the rain.
Is the summer getting back to the way it used to be in Australia, where it was common for a nice sunny day then it hammered down with rain through the night.
How are people coping with all this rain it has really hert a lot of people, who would think this could happen in the "Sunshine State"

John_R

Mate, were not even into the middle of the wet season yet


John

DeadVim

It's called the wet season for a reason, they should mention it more in the brochures

jad n rich

That was what I was thinking, the big wet spell is usually in februray.

However my dog clipping lady has lived in SE Qld all her life (50ish) and was saying this is the worst rain she has ever seen.

I dont mind a week or so of rain, usually now its so stonking hot you dont want to be outside so its a relief. However we are now at the mouldy stage, notice the letter box is green, the wood floors clammy and clothes you cant shove it in the tumble dryer are perma wet.

One thing for sure, when the heat returns the bloody humidiy will be hell after this lot.

DeadVim

Tumble dryer? You got maids as well?

DadAgain

Never mind the mouldy clothes - if it doesnt stop soon I'm in trouble:



(Note please excuse the ridiculously overgrown weeds growing out of the pavers - I havent had a chance to mow the patio for a while 'cos its been RAINING since November)

pink13

I feel for all the people down south QLD it must be heartbreaking to see everything you have worked for just be washed away,
Every morning they say we are having storms here in Cairns but most days its hot and sunny then at the end of the day and then into the night it is raining, just thanking my lucky stars at the moment,
I work for a lady that said that people have just forgotten what the wet season should be like and this it it

Trevski

You say it is called the wet season but we are having more consistent heavy down pours and the land is so wet it cant absorb the rain and now its causing problems for a lot of people, floods does cause so much damage and leaves such a mess behind that really is a poison brown sludge that has all kinds of CRAP mixed in with it.

DownUnderPaddy

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/envi...105-19fnx.html

Comments from Jeff Fabburg, Climate Services Manager at the BOM.

"The La Nina ocean system, the main cause of widespread flooding and heavy rain in 2010, was expected to continue for at least the first quarter of 2011.

But hot, dry weather may return later in the year if an El Nino system takes over.

"What happens after the La Nina ends is the real question," he said.

"Probability wise there is a 40 per cent chance of this La Nina going into an El Nino and a 50 per cent chance of this La Nina going into another La Nina."

So, on a pure probability basis, a higher chance of more wet to come.....

also ref http://au.news.yahoo.com/queensland/...eather-bureau/
"Long-range forecast models surveyed by the bureau suggest that the La Nina is likely to persist into autumn."

Pollyana

We are certainly not expecting it to calm down yet. We have SES crews up here from Vic and NSW, along with teams from NZ. We also have incident management staff from Vic SES working with us in the coordination centre as our own staff are flat out and need a certain amiount of rest in order to keep going.
I truly don't know how the SES guys on the ground keep going, the amount of devastation that they are helping residents to deal with is unbelievable, and many of them are working when their own properties have been damaged.

I know I've posted this elsewhere, but please if anyone is calling the SES on 132500, be patient, the call takers are as busy as the crews themselves.
And if its life-threatening please call 000 not 132500.

ABCDiamond

Another drought ?

This last December has been the wettest for 150 years. Not a normal event thankfully.

Brisbane Average rain about 1200mm per year
400mm During the April to September period which includes Winter
800mm During the October to March period which includes Summer

2009-2010 870mm. Only 72% of average
135mm During the April to September period which includes Winter. 34% of average
735mm During the October to March period which includes Summer. 92% of average

2010-2011 ?We have already exceeded the annual average, in just half the year.

And the Oct to March period is 1059mm already !! That's 21% more than last year, in little over half the time..

And that is just Brisbane..... What about those areas that are in Flood ??

DeadVim

We seem to be getting a lot of weather in the '1 in 100 event' vein, maybe the statistics need updating?

DeadVim

I have reached a crisis point, I am out of wine ... need to hit the bottle shop while I can ...

bcworld

Brisbane would probably be in a 1974 type flood situation right now were it not for Wivenhoe dam holding the water back - it's hardly a return to a normal wet season.

DownUnderPaddy

By historical/statistical standards, I agree.
However, as they say with the old stats, "The trend is your friend, until it ends...." Could this be the start of the end of the traditional trend ?

Time to drag the old Climate Change chestnut back into the discussion....
http://indymedia.org.au/2011/01/06/t...climate-change

Snippets from that article (which makes a very interesting read) :
- As the atmosphere and oceans continue to warm, the ability for more water vapour to be carried in the atmosphere intensifies leading to more frequent and more intense precipitation events.
- Nine tenths of the disasters in 2010 were severe weather-related events