Massive flooding in Australia cuts off city of 75,000
The arrival of the new year has brought continued misery to northeast Australia, where unprecedented flooding continues in the wake of weeks of torrential rains. The floods have killed at least ten people and covered an area the size of France and Germany combined, cutting off the coastal city of Rockhampton. Today, the military was forced to fly in food, water, and other supplies into Rockhampton, a city of 75,000, due to the lack of unflooded roads into the city. The local airport, all access roads, and all rail lines into the city are closed. The flooding has affected at least 21 other towns, and 200,000 people in northeast Australia. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard stated last week, "Some communities are seeing flood waters higher than they've seen in decades, and for some communities flood waters have never reached these levels before [in] the time that we have been recording floods." According to the National Climatic Data Center, springtime in Australia (September - November) had precipitation 125% of normal--the wettest spring in the country since records began 111 years ago. Some sections of coastal Queensland received over 4 feet (1200 mm) of rain from September through November. Rainfall in Queensland and all of eastern Australia in December was the greatest on record, and the year 2010 was the rainiest year on record for Queensland. The heavy rains are due, in part, to the moderate to strong La Niña event that has been in place since July. The relatively warm waters that accumulate off the northeast coast of Australia during a La Niña typically cause heavy rains over Queensland.
Figure 1. Comparison of river conditions in Queensland from today to December 30, 2010. While some rivers have fallen below major flood stage, the Fitzroy River at Rockhampton is rising, and may peak at levels not seen since 1918 on Wednesday. Image credit: Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Figure 2. Rainfall in Queensland, Australia for December, 2010. Image credit: Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
The rains over Queensland continued yesterday and today, with many of the flooded regions receiving 1/2 - 1 inch (about 12 - 25 mm) of rain. Total rainfall amounts in the flood region over the past month are generally in the 16 - 24 inch range (400 - 600 mm). Predicted rainfall amounts for the next two days in the flooded region are less than 1/2 inch (12 mm), which should allow for river levels to peak by Tuesday or Wednesday, then slowly fall. However, heavy rains are predicted to affect the area again by Thursday, and it may be several weeks before the summer rains ease enough to allow all of Queensland's rivers to retreat below flood stage. Damage to infrastructure in Australia has been estimated at over $1 billion by the government, and economists have estimated the Australian economy will suffer an additional $6 billion in damage over the coming months due to reduced exports, according to insurance company AIR Worldwide. Queensland is Australia's top coal-producing state, and coal mining and delivery operations are being severely hampered by the flooding. Damage to agriculture is currently estimated at $400 million, and is expected to rise.
Jeff Masters
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Also we will include Free, with your $100 donation with PPal: "How the high frequency Chilean Earthquake sound waves killed thousand of birds and fishes around the US" by Falacia Global
I'm ordering....Gnite all.... :)
"Hundreds of dead and dying birds littered a quarter-mile stretch of highway...La.1 just down the road from Pointe Coupee Central High School..."
...which just happens to be even nearer to FalseRiverRegionalAirport's landing&takeoff flightpath. The flock probably tangled with wake turbulence, possibly after some collided with the aircraft itself.
Maybe just a case of "knowing which way the bread is buttered":
Ticking off advertisers and potential advertisers -- ie anyone who can afford to own private aircraft or to rent a private jet -- is likely to lose ya bread.
And aircraft bird-strikes ain't gonna getcha nationwide coverage unless the pilot lands in the Hudson, while mystery (especially of the "apocalyptic portent" kind) sells both copy and uses of copyright.
Comment then on this NASA study:
SORCE's Solar Spectral Surprise
A device known as Solar Irradiance Monitor (SIM) -- has made daily measurements of the sun's brightness since 2003. The SIM is the first to monitor the daily activity of certain parts of the spectrum.
"...In recent years, SIM has collected data that suggest the sun's brightness may vary in entirely unexpected ways. If the SIM's spectral irradiance measurements are validated and proven accurate over time, then certain parts of Earth’s atmosphere may receive surprisingly large doses of solar radiation even during lulls in solar activity..."
In short, although the TSI may not vary, parts of the spectrum may be changing, even in periods of inactivity.
"...SIM suggests that ultraviolet irradiance fell far more than expected between 2004 and 2007 -- by ten times as much as the total irradiance did -- while irradiance in certain visible and infrared wavelengths surprisingly increased, even as solar activity wound down overall..."
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/solarcycle-sorce.html
Studies are still ongoing.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
922 PM CST TUE JAN 4 2011
OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-051100-
HARPER-WOODS-ALFALFA-GRANT-KAY-ELLIS-WOODWARD-MAJOR-GARFIELD-
NOBLE-ROGER MILLS-DEWEY-CUSTER-BLAINE-KINGFISHER-LOGAN-PAYNE-
BECKHAM-WASHITA-CADDO-CANADIAN-OKLAHOMA-LINCOLN-GRADY-MCCLAIN-
CLEVELAND-POTTAWATOMIE-SEMINOLE-HUGHES-HARMON-GREER-KIOWA-JACKSON-
TILLMAN-COMANCHE-STEPHENS-GARVIN-MURRAY-PONTOTOC-COAL-COTTON-
JEFFERSON-CARTER-JOHNSTON-ATOKA-LOVE-MARSHALL-BRYAN-HARDEMAN-
FOARD-WILBARGER-WICHITA-KNOX-BAYLOR-ARCHER-CLAY-
922 PM CST TUE JAN 4 2011
...TURNING MUCH COLDER EARLY NEXT WEEK...
A LARGE ARCTIC AIRMASS...BUILDING ACROSS NORTHERN CANADA...IS
EXPECTED TO MOVE SOUTH OVER THE WEEKEND AND NEXT WEEK. THIS ARCTIC
AIR IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE TO OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS NEXT
SUNDAY AND MONDAY...AND BE REINFORCED WITH BITTERLY COLD AIR FOR
MUCH OF NEXT WEEK.
IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD AIR...A STORM SYSTEM CURRENTLY OFF THE
CALIFORNIA COAST WILL MOVE ACROSS TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA THIS WEEKEND.
THIS STORM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF MUCH NEEDED RAIN AND PERHAPS A
RAIN AND SNOW MIX SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. AS THE COLD AIR DEPENDS
LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...THE PREDOMINANT PRECIPITATION TYPE IS
EXPECTED TO TRANSITION TO ALL SNOW. ALTHOUGH SIGNIFICANT
ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW ARE NOT EXPECTED...LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS CAN BE
EXPECTED.
THIS ARCTIC AIR WILL BE THE COLDEST OF THE SEASON...AND ALONG WITH
BRISK NORTH WINDS...WILL LIKELY PRODUCE VERY LOW WIND CHILLS. SOME
LOCATIONS COULD SEE MULTIPLE DAYS WITH TEMPERATURES REMAINING BELOW
THE FREEZING MARK AND WINDS CHILLS WELL BELOW ZERO. THESE COLD
CONDITIONS WILL LINGER THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK.
RESIDENTS OF OKLAHOMA AND NORTH TEXAS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN
PREPARING NOW FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF VERY COLD
WEATHER. PROVIDE WATER AND SHELTER TO OUTSIDE PETS AND LIVESTOCK.
PROTECT EXPOSED PIPES...AS THE EXTENDED COLD COULD RESULT IN FROZEN
PIPES. IT IS ALSO A GOOD IDEA TO MAKE SURE YOUR VEHICLE HAS A STRONG
BATTERY AND ADEQUATE ANTI-FREEZE. IF TRAVELING NEXT WEEK...TAKE
ALONG EXTRA BLANKETS AND COLD WEATHER GEAR IN CASE YOU BECOME
STRANDED.
YOU CAN MONITOR THE NWS WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/NORMAN FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION.
$$
Add Kentucky to the states with bird deaths. And along with Point Coupee, here in Calcasieu Parish, in Lake Charles, lots more birds down.
Surely, Shirley, this is Biblical in nature. :)
None of this is supposed to happen until next year.
I thought you were talking about the rain there for a minute; we haven't had any for a while... LOL
*shrug*
No, the birds.
Looks like you gonna get you some rain over towards NOLA!
Good morning!
Yeah, rain seems likely.
wtf? Citation, please?
if it was just dead birds it wouldnt be a big deal since it has happened before but dead fish too? And in more than one location? That concerns me
Wait, now we're talking about fish, as well? That wasn't the implication I got from his post.
There's dead FISH falling from the sky too??
Link
And dead fish were found in Arkansas and in cheaspeake Bay both blamed on "Cold weather"
Link
Interesting. I still don't see why we can't blame it on the cold weather, though. Do you happen to know when the dead fish were reported across the other two locations?
The past 2 days all of this has been occuring and last time i checked it is not cold in Panama, New Zealand, and Brazil
Link
Beebe,Arkansas 35.071389n91.891944w
LouisianaHighway1 "down the road from Pointe Coupee Central High School" 30.718333n91.478611w
~4.6degrees* off of vertical according to the GreatCircleMapper
LOL, not yet... need a cane for that to happen! How are ya, TB?
Very well right now...was out back with my pocket knife and a washtub looking for fish...lol
How are you this fine morning??
LOL, starting to tire finally. I'm out, stay unbusy!
Is that an actual word? :P
Obviously there's a direct cause, we just don't know what yet.
Depends on what part of the country you are from!!
Lol thats Kori if its not a 4 sylaball word its not proper lol...
Too true!!
Yes - Google it. ;-)
Gnite!!
And I'm damn proud of it, I'll have you know.
Good night, TB!
Thanks Bro!!
But I am at work and as much as I want to go night night I was saying good night to DontAnnoyMe
Surely, Shirley, this is Biblical in nature. :)
659 KoritheMan "None of this is supposed to happen until next year."
Twarn't all that long ago that Christmas decorations went up the day after Thanksgiving. Nowadays stores put up Christmas decorations on the day before Holloween to remind folks to shop for gifts.
Same thing's happening with apocalyptic portents: To maximize profits, advertise early and often.
And unlike afterChristmas sales, it's kinda hard to get folks motivated to buy your wares postApocalypse. What with all the looting&pillaging going on, I mean.
Still not as annoying as cleaning up after an apocalypse...
...then having folks complain about a few hundred years being missing.
J/k. Well, I think it's a joke.
Is the volcano itself 4 miles wide or the caldera 4 miles wide and where is this one at??
"Campi Flegrei is a large 13-km-wide caldera on the outskirts of Naples...The caldera margins are poorly defined and on the south lie beneath the Gulf of Pozzuoli."
Thanks!
12:13 GMT le 05 janvier 2011
Jeff Masters
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