In the darkness before dawn, rain like none Vilis and I had heard since the depths of the Wet pounded down onto the metal roof of our rental house. In first light, I saw flooded raised beds and patios in our yard and thick curtains of falling water drenching the streets of Townsville while thunder rumbled overhead. Vilis drove rather than cycled to the uni, and I postponed my birding excursion to the Annandale Wetlands until late afternoon, when dense cloud still hung over the city and drizzle speckled my binoculars. Considering that we’re well into what is normally the Dry, we’ve received an unexpected (at least to me) amount of rain. Yesterday at Lake Ross, birders commented on how much water is still available to wetland birds, and how green the vegetation is in comparison to other years at the same time.
Townsville isn’t alone in experiencing a wetter than normal year in 2010 (1337.2 millimetres of rain as of today, vs. the 1941-2008 January-September average of 912. 8 millimetres).1 Alice Springs, in the heart of Australia’s desert lands, has been breaking rainfall records since early January, when it received more than 50 millimetres of rain in 30 hours and almost equalled last year’s lowest ever recorded annual rainfall of only 77 millimetres.2 The Todd River, which is normally dry, flowed with water, attracting residents excited to see that rare event.2
Wildflowers near Alice Springs (© Vilis Nams)
Come March, a flowing Todd River was no longer a rare sight. Heavy rains had dropped over 300 millimetres of rain onto the outback city affectionately known as Alice or The Alice (I cottoned onto this from listening to ABC news and weather reports) during the last week of February and first day of March, upping its total rainfall to a level that smashed the previous annual rainfall record and generated the nickname of The Big Wet.3 The desert turned green and was bathed in wildflowers.2 The city was flooded.3 And more rain came.
On September 10, the Todd River flowed for the fourth time this year, necessitating the closure of causeways in Alice and rendering impassable many roads already sodden from the previous week’s rain.4 Last week, a further 30 to 50 millimetres of rain fell on the district, causing the Todd River to flow once more on Saturday night, again resulting in closures of the city’s causeways.5
Alice’s average annual rainfall is 282. 2 millimetres,6 but she’s already doubled that value this year, racking up 566.6 millimetres on 56 rainy days.7 And the year isn’t over yet.
Why all this interest in the Alice Springs weather? Vilis and I are planning a drive to The Alice, to the red heart of Australia, and we’d prefer to not be stranded due to impassable roads. A birder yesterday related to me an online comment he’d read about birding in the Alice Springs area under current conditions. The comment was something to the effect of, “If you’re coming to look for birds in Alice Springs, bring a boat.”
We don’t own a boat, so I’ll keep checking those weather and road reports.
References:
1. Eldersweather.com.au. Townsville Local Weather. © Elders Limited 1999-2009. Accessed 21-Sep-2010. http://www.eldersweather.com.au/local.jsp?lt=aploc&lc=12087
2. Annie Sanson, ntnews.com.au. Alice Springs rain breaking all the records. 8 January, 2010. © Nationwide News Pty Ltd. Accessed 21-Sep-2-2010. http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2010/01/08/114231_ntnews.html
3. Nicole Lee, ABC Alice Springs. Rain batters Centre. 2 March, 2010 11:21 a.m. ACST. © 2010 ABC. Accessed 21-Sep-2010. http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/03/01/2832841.htm
4. Nadine Maloney, ABC Alice Springs. Causeways closed, roads impassable. 10 September, 2010 11:34 AM ACST. © 2010 ABC. Accessed 21-Sep-2010. http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/09/10/3007949.htm
5. ntnews.com.au. Cold and rain records tumble in Alice Springs. 20 September 2010. © Nationwide News Pty Ltd. Accessed 21-Sep-2010. http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2010/09/20/180561_ntnews.html
6. Australian Government, Bureau of Meteorology. Climate statistics for Australian locations: Monthly Climate Statistics: Alice Springs Airport. Updated 16-Sep-2010. Accessed 21-Sep-2010. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_015590.shtml
7. Eldersweather.com.au. Alice Springs Local Weather. © Elders Limited 1999-2009. Accessed 21-Sep-2010. http://www.eldersweather.com.au/nt/alice-springs/alice-springs?fc=9154
