The situation in north eastern Queensland is looking pretty serious at the moment. The local ABC radios have gone into emergency broadcast mode in Townsville, Rockhampton and Innisfail and some evacuations are in place.
In places 250+mm of rain has been falling each day and the rivers are flooding.
Meanwhile further south…
Sorry to hear that Bruce. We know all about rain here in the UK. I’m just surprised that with all the industries and supposed release of CO2 here in the Northern Hemisphere, all the extreme weather is in the southern hemisphere at the moment.
I would have thought the answer was obvious. Queensland is in the tropics It is summer in the southern hemisphere, summer means heat, heat is energy, heat evaporates water from the oceans. When that warm moisture laden air hits a cold front it cannot hold so much water which then falls as rain.
You have heard of Monsoons? This is the wet season in the tropics but. sometimes the moisture available is exceptional because the warming planet has more heat in the atmosphere.
And don’t forget the crocs!
So quite normal then Bruce?
Only if you think the word “exceptional” means “normal”.
a hint - it doesn’t.
That is a shame. I knew that we were in a La Niña ENSO phase, but I thought it wasn’t particularly strong phase this year. There must have been a pretty substantial low in just the wrong place.
Just the sound of “La Niña” makes me a little tense because they create the oscillation patterns that increase our chances of hurricanes in the gulf. In La Niña years, we are supposed to have milder drier winters, which is the opposite of what this winter has turned out to be. Let’s hope that young lady finds the door soon enough.
The thing that stood out to me in the videos was how many QLDers were driving in flood water. I would think that in that climate, those folks would know better.
More rain is coming, some places have had over a metre of rain in two days.
In Victoria bushfires have been burning out of control in the Grampions National Park since 17th December. A number of towns are on “Watch and Act”. A bit different to the LA fires
Where I live the sun is shining and I am happily preparing for my cake and coffee morning.
