We Need the Rain So That We Don t Have Drought Again
Days of rain have brought joyous scenes of celebration after much-needed downpours saturated parts of Queensland.
But is it plenty to end the drought, or save towns from running out of h2o?
Curt answer — not yet.
While some parts of the land, like the Gilded Coast, got major downpours, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said information technology was hit and miss and it's non been enough to end the crippling drought.
Here's what the pelting has meant for different parts of the state.
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Southern Downs
Farmers and communities on the Southern Downs are feeling buoyed by the pelting.
Mayor Tracy Dobie said the falls had taken the pressure level off the whole region.
"Information technology was pretty fantastic to hear the rain on the roof so consistently over a couple of days, which we just oasis't had here now for three years. In fact, the inflow into both Connelly and Leslie, that's the offset inflow to those dams in three years," she said.
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Simply the Tempest Rex Dam, which supplies the town of Stanthorpe, did non go whatsoever benefit from the downpours.
"Unfortunately, there'south been almost no inflow into Storm King Dam near Stanthorpe then nosotros'll be continuing with carting of h2o betwixt Warwick and Stanthorpe," Councillor Dobie said.
The rain is a help, even if it has been patchy.
"If this rainfall these last few days means that we're getting dorsum to something like average rainfall, so that really does give us a great degree of condolement over the coming year," she said.
South Due east Queensland dams
SEQ Water said the rain did footling to increment h2o supplies to the south-east of the state, because the land was and then dry.
Spokeswoman Sophie Walker said the Hinze Dam catchment saw very skillful rainfall of about 270mm, but overall there was only a small increase in water supply.
"We've seen the combined chapters of the Southward East Queensland dams increase just a lilliputian under 1 per cent, so nosotros've had a 0.nine per cent increment in our combined dam capacity," Ms Walker said.
"It's about ii weeks of water supply based on our current situation." Ms Walker says.
She said separately that the Hinze Dam level increased by 4 per cent while Wivenhoe and Somerset dams each had negligible increases.
Breathtaking Rim
Despite well-nigh 50mm of pelting over four days, the footing is all the same cracked and parched, and the dam is empty at Natalie and Darren Ward's belongings in the Scenic Rim.
"We count every drop," Mr Ward said.
The drought has forced them to slash their herd to thirty head of cattle and buy water and feed to keep them alive.
But the rain hasn't been enough to turn their fortunes.
"It's a proficient offset, that'due south all it really is. If we don't get any follow-upwardly pelting in the next two or three weeks, then it's going to exist pointless," Mr Ward said.
"All the green pick will burn off and it volition exist back to dry clay over again."
Wide Bay and Burnett
Parts of the drought-declared Broad Bay and Burnett recorded falls of more than 100mm over the weekend.
The BOM said Bundaberg South had a total of 158mm, while in that location was 100mm at Murgon and less than 10mm fell between Gayndah and Monto.
Storms have increased the storage level at Bjelke-Petersen Dam near Cherbourg in the Due south Burnett.
The dam was at 4 per cent capacity in Dec with less than 6,000 megalitres of water left but that has risen to 7.5 per cent, or 10,000 megalitres, since Thursday.
Cherbourg Aboriginal Council has water restrictions in place prohibiting outdoor h2o use including washing cars and filling pond pools.
The BOM has predicted more rain this week, specially in western parts of the region.
Sunshine Declension
Sunshine Declension and Gympie graziers said they would need a lot more than pelting to go their cattle out of trouble, despite heavy pelting striking parts of the regions.
Some areas of the Sunshine Coast recorded up to 188mm of rain on Saturday, while areas in the Gympie region saw over 100mm.
Gympie District Beef Association president Mick Seeney said while the rain was a welcome start to recovery for some farmers, the fight was far from over.
"Before the rain it was just horrible, farmers were at wits' end nigh where they were going to turn, what to do," he said.
"There have still been some farmers that only got between 20 and 30mm — if you're one of those farmers … mentally, I tin can't even encompass how that would feel.
"Some of my mates are in that situation."
Mr Seeney said the weekend'south downpour "can only be the start" if conditions are to improve for desperate farmers.
"Nosotros actually needed this rain desperately, with a capital D, merely nosotros need follow-upward pelting, run-off rain, rain to fill the dams, rain for irrigation," he said.
"I can't stress how of import this was, but we need a lot more."
Drought declaration remains
In a statement, a Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) spokesperson said "ane pelting consequence doesn't modify drought status".
"While there have been welcome falls over many parts of Queensland, the far west, which has been in drought the longest, missed out," the DAF spokesperson said.
"The heaviest falls were forth the s-e littoral areas. Further inland the rain quickly dropped off.
"Local drought committees will come across at the end of the wet flavor — more often than not Apr — to assess conditions and brand recommendations."
Now it's heating up
The BOM said well-nigh of Queensland was at present experiencing a January heatwave with extreme conditions along much of the e coast.
Forecaster Peter Markworth said a heatwave is classified as college than average maximums but also higher than average minimum temperatures over 3 days or more.
"We are seeing temperatures inland getting up to 4 to five degrees above the January average," he said.
"The heatwave is acquired by the warm weather condition and the lack of cooling during the night.
"It has been pretty significant over the Cairns region and the Gulf of Carpentaria only now that warmer air and moisture is now coming down right across coastal Queensland into the Brisbane region."
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Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-20/queensland-rain-brings-relief-but-drought-persists/11881410
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