Comparing weather in Cairns and Carwoola

The biggest story in Australia today (3 February 2011)  is tropical cyclone Yasi which crossed the coast just South of Cairns today.  Snail's eye view seems to be a good source for a personal view: the electronic media coverage last night was appalling sensationalism with very little fact (and that was ABC and SBS who should be able to do better).

It is obviously making news overseas as well as a friend from New York enquired if that was going to come anywhere near us and I was able to explain it was 1850 kms North of us.  I sent her an image from the Bureau of Meteorology site from about 9:30 today showing the cyclone, and a belt of storms that had just left our area.
I have just checked the BoM website to see how much rain has fallen in Cairns and Innisfail: the former "dodged the bullet" but the eye of the cyclone would seem to have gone rather close to the latter.  I was therefore surprised to see Cairns had recorded 28mm of rain and Innisfail 52mm in the 24 hours to 9am.

Here in Carwoola we have received 73mm over the same period (including 15mm in about 20 minutes yesterday afternoon).  The dam near our house is fuller than I have ever seen it, Whiskers Creek is across our drive, all driveways around the area are somewhat eroded and everything is dripping.  The following day we got another 27mm!  More of the same. The images are of the house dam (normally there is a sword sticking up to25cmabove the water - totally submerged)  and Canyon Creek.
Note that in the second image, taken about 18 hours later, the hilt of the sword has re-appeared and the rushes protrude considerably more!
I have a couple of theories to explain the low rainfall in the tropics:
  1. the wind was so strong that the rain was going horizontally and not entering the gauges; or
  2. a tree has been blown down on top of the gauges!
A friend has advanced the view that rain gauges in FNQ have either been blown over or flooded!  At least as valid as my suggestions!
    That being said we were told a tale on one of our visits to FNQ that some people around Cape Tribulation recorded 48 inches of rain in a 24 hour period, but thought it was an underestimate since:
    • while their rain gauge held 4 inches of rain;
    • they could only face going out to it every 2 hours; and 
    • each time they did it was overflowing. 
    As I say this was a tale, and it is not unheard of for people to test the gullibility of tourists!  However the amount of rain they were indicating more closely accords with what I would expect in cyclone than 1 - 2" in 24 hours.  Perhaps someone will offer an explanation.  No-one has yet provided an authoritative explanation of the low rainfall in Cairns during Yasi.  However I did note a comment on the BoM site on 11 February (no cyclone, just a depression moving over the Cape)  "Latest observations: Lockhart River recorded 309mm in the 24 hours from 9am Thursday to 9am today.".  Now that is what I call a tropical rainy season.  Given that Lockhart River is 110km of rather ordinary dirt road off the Telegraph Rd, and crosses the Pascoe and Wenlock Rivers through fords, I'd say no-one is driving in there any time soon!
    

    

    

    

    

    

    







    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    


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