Thursday, November 20, 2008

Yet More Rain For Brisbane Area

Third time this week - this time, at the south end of the metropolis. Even though the rainfall totals were somewhat lower than earlier this week, the ground was already saturated, and they were ill-prepared for more superfluous water:
FLASH storms again hit the Gold Coast and Hinterland last night, dumping up to 20mm of rain in an hour, knocking trees on to roads and houses and leaving 3400 homes without power.

It was the third night this week that torrential rains had drenched the Coast and came on the tail of Wednesday night's deluge that flooded areas of the southeast.

...More than 100mm fell across the northern Gold Coast overnight Wednesday, more than the usual rainfall for the month of November.

Although no daily or monthly rainfall records were broken on the Coast, the night-time downpour was more than the city has seen for November since 2004.

The barrage inched the Hinze Dam's water levels up to 95.3 per cent.

Oxenford recorded the highest overnight total, with 136mm bucketing down compared to only 76mm for the whole month last year and 61mm in 2006.

At Wongawallan, rain gauges were topped up with 126mm, a huge increase on last year's monthly total of 84mm.

The Gold Coast Seaway recorded 105mm.

Other recordings were Molendinar 96mm, Carrara 79mm, Mount Tamborine 77mm, Evandale 75mm, Nerang 76mm and Hinze Dam 57mm. Hail was reported at Varsity Lakes and Nerang.

...Weather bureau meteorologist Gavin Holcombe said it was unusual for such a quantity of rain to fall at this time of year.

However, the changing weather patterns signalled a return to normal November weather conditions and a typical 'wet spring' which had not been seen since the 1970s and '80s, he said.

"Now is more a return to November conditions ... it's not unusual but most people have forgotten what it's like to have a wet November," said Mr Holcombe.

He said the heavy rains were generated by warm, moist air from the Coral Sea.

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