Is the drought ending?

[Lethal]

The last week or so have provided a couple of good rainfalls up here, especially today were the roads were a bit flooded.
So is the drought finally coming to an end?

If it isn't, at least the plants got a good soaking.

 

[Slax]

It may have provided some good rain but the drought won't be over until there are substantial falls and daws start increasing again.

 

[Joe Mama]

Although it's too early to tell if the end is nigh, but let me put it this way, I am a lot more optimistic now than what I was a few months ago. If only it can only rain buckets in the catchment areas (Eildon, etc), we'll be laughing, but it is nice to see some paddocks that are full of feed.

 

[you_idiot]

We need about 5-7 more major storms this winter in order to make any talk of ending the drought into a realistic discussion, IMO...

But what we had here in Ballarat (I can assume the same for Melbourne and the rest of the state as well) this weekend, and especially today, certainly helps.

 

[Lethal]

Just to add a bit more to yesterdays rainfall we got this here in Bendigo.



TORNADO: eight homes destroyed
Monday, 19 May 2003

A GROWING roar was the only

warning Bendigo residents had of a

freak tornado which ripped roofs

from homes and flung tree

branches through the air like

matchsticks late yesterday.

California Gully bore the brunt of

the ferocious storm, with the tornado tracing a 500m wide path

more than 7km through the suburbs.

In less than 10 minutes eight

homes were destroyed and a further 44 houses and a kindergarten left

in need of major repair.

As the winds subsided residents

were left to emerge shell-shocked

from the wreckage, doing their best

by torchlight to check on their

neighbours.

They were confronted with a

scene of disaster.

Everywhere was twisted metal,

ripped from houses and street

lights in the 150kmh winds.

Power lines were down, criss-

crossing streets already blocked

with debris.

Uprooted trees, some thrown

from one side of the road to the

other, were everywhere _ their

leaves mingling with broken glass

and personal belongings picked up

from living rooms and flung out

side.

And, among the 50 damaged

homes, shaking and crying residents, amazed that they were in one

piece.

``There was just an almighty

roar,'' Sandhurst Road resident

Julie Wharton said.

``The power was flickering on and

off. We heard a noise and it didn't

sound good.

``I yelled to the kids to get inside

and then it hit.

``We could see everything flying

around in the wind _ feel the wind

pushing us around.

``It was really scary, frightening.''

Remarkably no-one was injured

in the freak event described as the

worst of its type in a decade.

Emergency crews last night were

concentrating on patching-up

homes and making the area safe, as

well as restoring electricity to

almost half the city.

 

[Darky]

Wasn't there a tornado that went through Sunbury about three years ago? Ripped the roof off the basketball centre at Boardman Reserve.

 

[Squeak]

How come when it rains in the metropolitan area, people say "oh it's raining, that's good for the farmers"? How do they know that it's raining where there are farmers?

 

[Mooster7]

Originally posted by Lethal
a

freak tornado which ripped roofs

from homes.........

I live on the Kansas - Missouri border. There are no such things as freak tornadoes here. Just the occasional freak day without one.

Peace & be safe.

 

[knuckles]

Well after Sats performance THE drought will go on a little longer I think.

As for the rain, all the rain Sydney had over the last week, resulted in a whole 1% increase in their major water catchment area. No watering gardens at all (in Vic) next month is a certainty.

 

[Destructive]

We need it to really **** down here for a week. Our dam level is down to 29%. We are on level 4 water restrictions now, and if we don't get any decent rain soon, it's going to get worse.