IT'S RAINING AGAIN

[Bundalene]

Just checked our rain gauge and we've had almost 50mm in the past couple of days at Horsley Park.

Then I checked the Talbragar River Height web site and the river has risen to almost 6 meters :o JDNSW will have fun and games getting into his place when he gets back from the USA this weekend if the rain keeps up.

According to the State Rainfall Bulletin, Dunedoo has recorded 122mm since Sunday.

Erich

[numpty]

It's chucking it down here on Hamo. Virgin had 3 goes to get in and has now diverted to Townsville. There is a Jetscare flight attempting at the moment but as there wouldnt be 500 metres visibility to the threshold I dont like his chances either...........he's just announced he's diverting to Mackay.

[LowRanger]

But you do realise that when we hear the official weather report.It will state that no water has fallen in the Warragamba catchment area.That place is a desert,they should add it to everyones expedition list.

Wayne

[Bundalene]

But you do realise that when we hear the official weather report.It will state that no water has fallen in the Warragamba catchment area.That place is a desert,they should add it to everyones expedition list.

Wayne

Yes, it NEVER rains in the Warragamba catchment:angel:

However, today on the radio someone rang up and said this morning they were releasing water from Warragamba Dam into the river.

Figure that out if you can, because I certainly can't.

Erich

[Chucaro]

Warragamba 28.6 mm (http://www.sca.nsw.gov.au/dams-and-water/how-much-rain-has-fallen-in-our-catchments)

[Tikirocker]

Sick of it in Lithgow .... has not stopped for 2 days ... :mad:

Simon.

[one_iota]

41 mm in 24hrs....innerwest grit washed off, vege garden watered, rain water tank full again and pool topped up.

That's about 4000 litres of Warragamba water I don't need to use.:)

[rockyroad]

Cars getting washed away on flooded roads are keeping us busy at work. That said though I am happy for it to rain as much as it likes!!

I have just put in a job application with a local council for an emergency management job that is basically repsonsible to storms and floods. I am hoping the more it rains the faster they will be in appointing someone.

[Bushie]

I don't understand you lot !

It's a beautiful summer evening in Sydney :eek::eek::eek:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/12/1731.jpg

30mm in the gauge this morning and at least another 30 by tonight.

Our local dam (Woronora) is only at 35% despite the rain some ~18m below full. Decent rainfall in the upper Warragamba catchment though Goulburn ~40mm



Martyn

[BigJon]

It rained where I was working on Saturday afternoon... 4 inches in about 2.5 hours!

[Xtreme]

Warragamba is benefitting from the current rains.

Dam level has risen 300mm in the last few days as a result of increased flows from the Wollondilly River (2.38m [about 2m above normal height] and still rising), Kowmung River (2.06m [about 1.5m above normal height]and steady) and the Cox's River (1.2m [about 1.1m above normal height]and steady). These readings were at 10:15pm Wednesday 1st Dec.

There are a couple of reasons for releasing water from Warrgamba -
1. To generate a meagre amount of electricity from the tiny hydro power station.
2. To satisfy riparian rights of landholders downstream and generally 'freshen up' the river.

One day we'll get a decent flood like we had during the '70's and early 90's and Warragamba will rise surprisingly quickly.

[Bundalene]

This is what the river at out block at Elong is doing. Any more than 1.2m and bridge / causeway is too deep and we have to take the back way in, but this is presently way too boggy - black soil country.


River Height data for Talbragar R at Elong Elong (http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDN60236/IDN60236.564002.plt.shtml)


Erich

[Xtreme]

They've certainly copped a lot more out there than we have.

[one_iota]

Further to Roger's post they release 33.3 million litres every day from the Warragamba Dam for environmental purposes:

Environmental flows - Sydney Catchment Authority (http://www.sca.nsw.gov.au/dams-and-water/environmental-flows)

[JDNSW]

Arrived back in Sydney 0750 yesterday. Looking out the window as we came in, the first ground I saw through the rain was the runway threshold!

Delayed in Sydney for quite a while - the 1050 flight to Canberra did not leave until after 12. Weather permitting I expect to head for home on Wednesday.

John

[DeanoH]

41 mm in 24hrs....innerwest grit washed off, vege garden watered, rain water tank full again and pool topped up......................


83mm in 24hrs............ground sodden, another tree fallen on fence, dirt road now 4WD track, vegie garden a rice paddy (complete with ducks), driveway gravel now part of above mentioned 4WD track....................mmmmm, think positive ..................'the glass is half full' . No it's not, more like ........'my cup runneth over', actually it's bloody overflowing. sigh.............

Deano:)

[bob10]

Had to travel to Karumba in the Gulf 12th Nov. from Brisbane for family reasons, storms all the way to Cloncurry, lots of road closures , plenty of water beside the roads, after Cloncurry, nothing, dry as. All dry and dusty, big thunderstorm at Karumba the night before we left, 17th Nov.. According to locals, the wet hasn't started yet ! The way back was worse, with the road under down the Gregory development road from Charters Towers to Clermont in many places. Throw a couple of Cyclones in this wet season, [ which has yet to kick in ], could be an interesting time Cheers Bob.

[RoverP6B]

The long term outlook for Summer is lots more of the same..:mad:

The occasional few dry days here and there with mostly wet days filling the rest.

Ron.

[Fluids]

Great :(

... at least we're on sand here ... gimme 6" of rainfall and it's soaked in before you can say boo!

[windsock]

Wohoo! :banana: :D Long hot dry summer forecast for most of NZ. Viva La Nina! In some areas the soil deficit is already down as low as 50% - been equated to Februray levels and it is only just Dec.

In the river fishing the other day. The only downside to the forecast: Decreasing water levels + increased temperature = lethargic trout + slime. Ah well, a long hot summer is better than a short wet one...

Soak it up guys, I'll give you till August 2011 and you'll all be talking about the dust and impending drought... ;) By the time Februray rolls around I be complaining about empty water tanks and drying gardens... :o

[bob10]

Lets hope that long dry summer hardens up N.Z. rugby fields, to give our fleet-footed Wallabies a good chance against your magnificent All Blacks. You may be the best in the world , but look out , we are coming ! 281 days to go .[ sorry for hijacking the thread, couldn't help myself, must be this damn rain.] Bob :twisted: :twobeers:

[DeanoH]

Wohoo!
..................In the river fishing the other day.

Had my Kiwi cousin over a few years ago and went trout fishing in the Cobungra River. He was absolutely appalled when we used bait (he used fly's). Reckoned it was one step above dynamiting the river, refused to associate with the rest of us whilst fishing.

Deano:)

[windsock]

Lets hope that long dry summer hardens up N.Z. rugby fields, to give our fleet-footed Wallabies a good chance against your magnificent All Blacks. You may be the best in the world , but look out , we are coming ! 281 days to go .[ sorry for hijacking the thread, couldn't help myself, must be this damn rain.] Bob :twisted: :twobeers:
Oh I am sure our wings will enjoy a hard track too... imagine Sonny Bill Williams on a hard track passing out through to Hosea Gear running up hard onto the pass... :D

Back on topic... I too am sorry for the threadjack, must be all that sunshine :cool:

[Bigbjorn]

Had my Kiwi cousin over a few years ago and went trout fishing in the Cobungra River. He was absolutely appalled when we used bait (he used fly's). Reckoned it was one step above dynamiting the river, refused to associate with the rest of us whilst fishing.

Deano:)

Is not the whole meaning of fishing to catch fish? Liver is good bait for most freshwater fish, although why anyone bothers with trout is beyond me. Tastless rubbish beloved by chefs as there is no taste to take away from the rich and/or spicy sauces they love to smother with.

I have known a few blokes over the years who used the noisy bait. Two of them used to do so in the Bribie Passage. This area is a bit too built up for this method nowadays.

[windsock]

Had my Kiwi cousin over a few years ago and went trout fishing in the Cobungra River. He was absolutely appalled when we used bait (he used fly's). Reckoned it was one step above dynamiting the river, refused to associate with the rest of us whilst fishing.

Deano:)

yes, I am 'retraining' a Norwegian trout fisher to the ways of stalking and sight fishing here in NZ. They have no rules and regulations over there in 90% of their water and consequently the fish are very small. I think I am winning him around to only using one hook and putting small ones back for another day... :D

The Pohangina River (http://www.horizons.govt.nz/managing-environment/resource-management/water/river-heights-and-rainfall/Choose-river-rainfall-chart/detail?xmp=MAIs&site=Pohangina%20at%20Mais%20Reach)here has dropped 100mm in six days... temperature is escalating to higher and higher levels each day - 17-25 deg C range.

Our local regional council runs all their river monitoring systems (http://www.horizons.govt.nz/managing-environment/resource-management/water/river-heights-and-rainfall/Choose-river-rainfall-chart/)online if any of you are interested in viewing the data...

[bob10]

Thanks for the link, I find that type of information interesting [yes, I need a life] We have a similar site, www.bom.gov.au (http://www.bom.gov.au) for general weather, for flood info., add - /hydro/flood/qld. Now, the important stuff...... whats the secret to N.Z. producing so many good loose forwards? We seem to be able to match you in talent , but our depth is nowhere near yours. Bob. :question::D

[windsock]

Now, the important stuff...... whats the secret to N.Z. producing so many good loose forwards? :question::D

It is the cold/frigid weather we have here, and the cold houses... ... gets you foraging for your socks/pants very effectively in the morning... ;)

[bob10]

It's still showering at the moment, my tomatoes love the natural rainwater. Can you tell me how Ritchie Mcstrech the rules to the limit can look like a Vatican choirboy when he SOMETIMES attracts the refs attention? I love watching him, Chabal, and the captain from a certain African team I will not mention.[ I believe he is rehearsing the speech for after the final now] as for fishing, I must add, the locals at Karumba have a saying, as opposed to catch and release, called fillet and release. This apparantly pleases the local aquatic lizards no end [ just dont leave fish offal anywhere near where humans may be ] Cheers, God Bless, and yes, I did have something in my eye, when the ceremony for the miners was held today. I'm going for a record, that must be the greatest thread hijack off all time Bob. :angel::banana::banana::banana::banana:go the REDS!!!!!

[spudfan]

Rainfall at Uluru.

[Fifth Columnist]

Think yourselves lucky.
This is England right now............

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w131/helenalaurie/Snow/DSCF0009Medium.jpg

[DeanoH]

Anyone who chooses to live where it snows, well, serves 'em right.

Deano:)

[windsock]

Rainfall at Uluru.

WOW :) Fantastic photos Spudfan, just fantastic. Thanks for sharing...

[spudfan]

More rainfall at ULURU.

[spudfan]

Local landscape photographer Peter Carroll was in the right place at the right time when the rain came bucketing down earlier in the month.

Peter was at Yulara - the township near Uluru when he woke at 3am to the sound of torrential rain.

"It has been a 20 year dream to see Uluru with water pouring down her flanks," writes Peter in his blog, 'so there I lay tossing and turning praying the rain would continue til the crack of dawn.'

Most longtime residents of Central Australia know that the sight of rain on the rock is a rare phenomenon. For a landscape photographer, it's gold. Before the sun had risen, Peter was out there with his camera.

"I had to calm myself a little bit. It was pretty momentous," says Peter.

"I went round to the general car park area where the climb is...and that's where these white stripes started to reveal themselves, it was pretty spectacular."

The result of Peter's work is a spectacular collection of images that show Uluru in a whole new light. Barely recognisable with silver lines snaking down the surface and eerie fog hovering - the images will no doubt find a large audience. Several have already appeared on the front page of The Australian.

Most of the shots were taken near the Mututjulu waterhole, says Peter, and what he heard that morning was just as powerful as what he saw through the lens.

"Once I got out of the car and started walking in, all the noises started to take over," he says.

"When you hear that water rushing down the side, and plummeting over cliffs, it really is a special sound. And because we've had so much rain lately there's just hundreds of thousands of frogs around the place, it was pretty magical."

"I've been down [to Uluru] a lot and whenever I'm down there it delivers some special, special moment..I don't know what the inner workings of it are on the human psyche but it's fairly powerful stuff."

Follow the link to Peter's blog to see more images and read the story in his own words.

(Story taken from Rohan Barwick's interview with Peter Carroll on 783 Drive, ABC Alice Springs)

[numpty]

It is still raining here on Hamilton and playing havoc with the aircraft traffic. Our crew was supposed to fly out on Wednesday, but with cancelled flights and returns, it never happened. We are hoping to get out today......but no guarantee. Oh well, another 20 hours OT........so far.;)

My weekend plans have been quashed. :(

[stealth]

The Poem

SAID HANRAHAN

"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, In accents most forlorn, Outside the church, ere Mass began, One frosty Sunday morn.

The congregation stood about, Coat-collars to the ears, And talked of stock, and crops, and drought, As it had done for years.

"It's lookin' crook," said Daniel Croke; "Bedad, it's cruke, me lad, For never since the banks went broke Has seasons been so bad."

"It's dry, all right," said young O'Neil, With which astute remark He squatted down upon his heel And chewed a piece of bark.

And so around the chorus ran "It's keepin' dry, no doubt." "We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "Before the year is out.

"The crops are done; ye'll have your work To save one bag of grain; From here way out to Back-o'-Bourke They're singin' out for rain.

"They're singin' out for rain," he said, "And all the tanks are dry." The congregation scratched its head, And gazed around the sky.

"There won't be grass, in any case, Enough to feed an ass; There's not a blade on Casey's place As I came down to Mass."

"If rain don't come this month," said Dan, And cleared his throat to speak-- "We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "If rain don't come this week."

A heavy silence seemed to steal On all at this remark; And each man squatted on his heel, And chewed a piece of bark.

"We want a inch of rain, we do," O'Neil observed at last; But Croke "maintained" we wanted two To put the danger past.

"If we don't get three inches, man, Or four to break this drought, We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "Before the year is out."

In God's good time down came the rain; And all the afternoon On iron roof and window-pane It drummed a homely tune.

And through the night it pattered still, And lightsome, gladsome elves On dripping spout and window-sill Kept talking to themselves.


It pelted, pelted all day long, A-singing at its work, Till every heart took up the song Way out to Back-o'Bourke.

And every creek a banker ran, And dams filled overtop; "We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "If this rain doesn't stop."

And stop it did, in God's good time; And spring came in to fold A mantle o'er the hills sublime Of green and pink and gold.

And days went by on dancing feet, With harvest-hopes immense, And laughing eyes beheld the wheat Nid-nodding o'er the fence.

And, oh, the smiles on every face, As happy lad and lass Through grass knee-deep on Casey's place Went riding down to Mass.

While round the church in clothes genteel Discoursed the men of mark, And each man squatted on his heel, And chewed his piece of bark.

"There'll be bush-fires for sure, me man, There will, without a doubt; We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "Before the year is out." John O'Brien

[DeanoH]

John O'Brien aka Patrick Hartigan, a Catholic Priest in the 1920's and not a bad poet.

Deano :)

[Ace]

We have been getting smashed here. The Macquarie river is way up and we have had road closures of some sort all through the district every day for the past 3 days. Alot of places around Parkes and out west look like inland lakes at the moment.

We need it, its good to see the river up so high here and the massive volume of water flowing down stream is awsome so see.

[Bundalene]

So, anyone know if JDNSW managed to get home? The Talbragar River at Elong Elong is sitting at around the 8 meter level at present. If he managed to get through I hope he took heaps of supplies with him.

I notice on the RTA website that the Golden Highway is presently closed at Uarbry.

Poor farmers - one day drought, next day floods. They can't win at present.

But like ACE said, it will do the rivers good to get a flush out, and this rain will bring the underground water table back up as well.



Cheers, Erich

[Xtreme]

I think he's planning on staying at Canberra/Yass until about Wednesday.
See post #15

[JDNSW]

Still in Yass. Got a call from my nephew (in Dubbo) yesterday morning telling me not to be silly and do anytghing stupid. My sister, who lives next door to me has been staying with him since Tuesday (saw it coming and had commitments in Dubbo). A grandson of hers is trapped at Pine Park on the wrong side of the river - he was planning today to try and get across a creek to get to my sister's house both to stock up on food from her freezer and to feed her dog, who will be getting short on food by now.

I will be keeping an eye on things, but seems likely that I will not be leaving here until near the end of the week.

John.

[Bigbjorn]

Bundalene, raining AGAIN is not appropriate. It has been raining here, Brisbane, for three months. Wettest spring for 60 years and the first time since record keeping commenced that there was not one day over 30 degrees in SEQ.

Central Q. is under water. Western and the north have been up to their bums in mud and water since early last year. Pretty much flood warnings for every western watercourse. Bit of a change after nearly 10 years drought.

The western and gulf floods last year caused more damage and economic loss than the Victorian fires but did not get the publicity because the floods were not near the xenophobic southern media. You know what that means. It did not happen in Sydney or Melbourne therefore it did not happen.

[Sprint]

yea, its a little damp up here in CQ, one creek is up and running 6km wide between here and where i work....

and to think...... on thursday i'd been grumbling that it'd be another 3-4 months before i got time off work due to my offsider resigning!

[windsock]

Finally making the news over here...

More rain forecast for flooded NSW (http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/4424898/More-rain-forecast-for-flooded-NSW) Last updated 07:48 06/12/2010



LATEST: New South Wales is bracing for more storms, worsening flooding which already stretches from Victoria to Queensland.
The storms, forecast for Wednesday, will drop up to 100 millimetres of rain over areas that are already inundated.
The rain could see flooding extend to half of the state.
''When you see a map that says all these valleys are in flood - and I'm looking at one now - normally everything is brown,'' Hugh Bruist, a senior hydrologist at Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, said yesterday.
''But what we're looking at - 50 per cent of the state is in flood. Much of the state is wet and any further rain will run off the ground rather than being absorbed into the ground.''
The state's Minister for Emergency Services, Steve Whan, was to announce A$1 million (NZ$1.3m) today for the removal of trees and other debris after the floods in south-western NSW in October.
He will make the announcement while visiting the same disaster areas with the Australian Attorney-General, Robert McClelland.
Flood gates are open outside Tumut and Bathurst. The army has been deployed in Wagga Wagga, where the homes of three families who refused to leave are expected to be flooded this afternoon.
The levee at Coonamble is threatening to burst under the weight of flood waters, after 1200 residents were ordered to leave.
Flood warnings have been issued for 12 rivers.
Natural disasters have been declared in the Dubbo, Weddin, Wellington, Warrumbungle, Harden, Cootamundra, Coonamble, Gundagai, Cabonne and Young shires.


Hundreds flee floods in NSW (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10692224)

[Bushie]

There were comments earlier that this year the floods would rival 1974, and there have been plenty of references of 'worse flood since 1974' given that most of those floods were caused by cyclones that crossed into central Qld (and there hasn't been a cyclone yet this season) it'll be interesting to see what develops.

Martyn

[Chucaro]

It is long time since I left Sydney so I do not know if the area near the Nepean/ Hawkesbury rivers where used to be under water is farm land or suburbia.

If the local councils allowed to build there it will be a disaster of major implications if the gates of the dam have to be open like in the 70's :eek:

[stealth]

After 15 years of drought and now the inevitable floods one thing is sure. People (especially politicians) have short memories. We forget the drought quickly, and the floods, and the bushfires. And when they come again, as they do and will, we will reflect on the last ones and wonder again. "Why didn't we learn from the last one and do something about it?" And then all the bright ideas will start flowing again, (as they have for 200 years). Bigger dams, diverting the water from the north to the south, pipe lines, levee banks, fuel reduction, town shelters.. blah blah blah. The only other thing that is sure is nothing of any real value will get done. One of the problems of four years terms for politics and 20 years cycles for weather patterns and disasters....need a beer now.

[Bigbjorn]

How much of the NSW flood water will end up in the Murray and flow to the sea thus greatly improving the health of the system?

Difficult to do anything about major floods. When you have thousands and thousands of square miles under water there is absolutely no way of containing these waters to a water course. Simply too much water to handle. The flooding in Qld's cnannel country is nature's way of rejuvenating the countryside and the graziers regard the big channel floods as money in the bank.

Much of the suffering and property damage from The Vic. fires came as a result of building homes and townships nestled in the bush. Clear felling for a substantial distance around would help greatly in limiting losses. It would appear fuel reduction had not been practiced for a long while, if ever. This should be done annually.

[Homestar]

Much of the suffering and property damage from The Vic. fires came as a result of building homes and townships nestled in the bush. Clear felling for a substantial distance around would help greatly in limiting losses. It would appear fuel reduction had not been practiced for a long while, if ever. This should be done annually.

While I agree that more clearing & fuel reduction is well warranted in these areas, there were substansial losses of property that were in clear areas. Ember attack to properties well clear of the main fire front accounted for a lot of losses. While King Lake & Marysville have plenty of trees, they are no different to hundreds of towns throughout Australia, and under the same conditions in other places, they would have suffered the same fate.

People live in the bush for that reason - if all the trees were cleared, it would no longer be the bush...:D but if you want to live in these areas, you need to be aware of the potential hazards.

Cheers - Gav.

[Bushie]

Much of the suffering and property damage from The Vic. fires came as a result of building homes and townships nestled in the bush.

and just as much suffering stemmed from the fact that the majority of the population don't have an appreciation of fire and it's consequences (and certainly not under those conditions), as a result they were not making themselves aware of what was happening around them, what could happen and whether they should even be there (and I mean during them conditions).

Living amongst the bush and forest, does have consequences, that many were blind to.

(anyway this thread is about floods - so back to the subject at hand :):))


Martyn

[JohnF]

On the Embarrassment thread if you can find it--I cant find it-- I posted pictures of my drive after some rain--less rain than we have recently had-- fun in the mud driving up and down our drive each day.

[DeanoH]

On the Embarrassment thread if you can find it--I cant find it-- I posted pictures of my drive after some rain--less rain than we have recently had-- fun in the mud driving up and down our drive each day.

Had the same problem. Found it lurking in the 'soapbox'.

Deano:)

[windsock]

I hope all you guys that don't normally drive through water have checked your diff/gearbox/t-box breathers... sounds like you have a bit of wading going on over there... ;)

[JDNSW]

Well, made it home today. Only real problem was that the crossing at Comobella on the Wellington-Dunedoo road was closed due to damage - pity they did not put a sign at Wellington.

Went through Dubbo instead. Wheeler's lane is not standing up well to carrying all the Newell Highway traffic! It has gone completely to pieces opposite Heyer Ford, and is being rebuilt, cutting it down to one lane northbound.

John

[Bushie]

There were comments earlier that this year the floods would rival 1974, and there have been plenty of references of 'worse flood since 1974' given that most of those floods were caused by cyclones that crossed into central Qld (and there hasn't been a cyclone yet this season) it'll be interesting to see what develops.

Martyn

Strange how things come back, looks like these floods are now (already) surpassed the 1974 floods as well there would be a lot more assets at risk 37 years down the track.


It is long time since I left Sydney so I do not know if the area near the Nepean/ Hawkesbury rivers where used to be under water is farm land or suburbia.

If the local councils allowed to build there it will be a disaster of major implications if the gates of the dam have to be open like in the 70's :eek:

The thing is, like Brisbane this WILL happen sometime down the track. It's been a long time since the Hawksbury/Nepean experienced a major flood. This time however there will be probably thousands affected.


Martyn