In yesterday’s Weather News I touched on the wet weather that has been affecting parts of eastern Australia. Even into the evening on Friday (local time) the rain was continuing to fall for some areas of Queensland.
Around 25-50mm (one to two inches)of rain, more than a months worth for some, fell during just a couple of days in areas of Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. This persistent rain will have helped to bring some welcome relief to the parched landscape that blights a huge proportion of the country.
At present, more than half the country’s agricultural land is officially in drought. Around 92 per cent of New South Wales alone is also receiving drought relief. So why is Australia suffering so badly from drought? Drought, although not a welcome one, is actually very much part of the Australian way of life. The country tends to lurch in and out of prolonged periods of dry weather.
A lot of this is linked to the El Niño southern oscillation phenomenon, especially in northern and eastern Australia. The drought periods often last just one year, i.e. 1983, but can also extend on for longer periods such as the drought in Queensland between 1991 and 1995. Australia’s high water consumption per population also helps to exacerbate the situation. However, to say that this week’s rains have been entirely welcome would be stretching the truth a touch.
Some of the best rainfall to hit northwest Victoria this year may actually be too late to save what will be a poor grain harvest. Many farmers also fear that such rainfall will also only promote the growth of weeds. The cost of tackling these is one many farmers could do without.
Heavy downpours during Thursday night also brought chaos on Friday morning to rail commuters in Melbourne, Victoria. Around 25mm (one inch) of rain fell during the night, causing electrical problems and points failure. Many services were badly affected, and commuters frustrated. Rail officials of course blamed the weather, but as of yet I’ve not heard any reports of the “wrong type of rain”!
