Drought-hit farmers get chance to show Tony Abbott parched communities first hand –
Lets review a decade of rain history – OK 2013 was a dry year – but 2012 was better than average for a majority of Qld – NSW ag regions but 2011 was even better and 2010 was tune up the outboard weather.
2009 looks below par – 2008 above par – 2007 above par – 2006 v dry in south east – 2005 mostly below par all over – 2004 a fair belt through Qld into NE NSW – 2003 mostly dry or average – 2002 start of worst drought in the history of history – 2001 dry or average – 2000 last good year before worst drought ever, or ten years of drought or whatever term the media wants to use. There, just walked through over a decade.
Downunder has been having droughts and floods long before the first settler nailed a jam tin on a fence to measure rain.
You can see the rain that has fallen in last 48 hour period –
Current month to date rainfall totals for Australia – you can adjust parameters.
I am sure, having lived in Bourke in the 1960s, that lack of rain is making it hard for the farming communities. However, looking up the records, I find that there has been far worse episodes.
Bourke has had 189.2mm from 1 Jan 2013 to today (16th Feb 14). There is a least 7 periods which have been lower than that with 1929/30 being the lowest at 122mm (these include all of Feb).
This dry period followed 4 years of above average rainfall.
Bourke has had 66.2mm this summer. In 1900/1 it was 10.3mm and the following summer (1901/2) there was 7.4mm. Two summers with a total of 17.7mm.
The worst summer was 1892/93 – only 2.3mm.
Bad, but not the worst, not unprecedented, and definitely nothing to do with CO2.
Don’t believe that month to date for a minute, showing Broome at less than 100mm when we’ve had 171mm, then that big white patch in the middle, don’t believe that either, there used to be a record from Balgo, but not now. There are no others anywhere near there, Giles being the closest. Funny that.
That white spot in the middle of WA has no rainfall records any more, so I checked all surrounding stations including Kintore, Giles, Carnegie, Warburton all had good rains for February! Have to check temperatures now.
Looks like the BoM are confused. Used the highest total for the month as their month to data total.
www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_display_type=dailyDataFile&p_nccObsCode=136&p_stn_num=003003&p_c=-1803865&p_startYear=2014
Weather forecast 10.30pm last night spoke of Qld rain for a few days yet.
This prediction likewise has rain hanging around eastern Australia for a week.
www.weatherstreet.com/international/australia-10-day-forecast-slp.htm
Good falls around Charleville overnight
www.bom.gov.au/qld/flood/west.shtml
After getting rained out of Bourke and Queensland the PM headed to Broken Hill to talk drought – pity the map actually shows no drought at Broken Hill.
