Flood Journal Entry
Floods Swamp Australia (January 15, 2008)
False-color satellite picture shows rainfall totals from recent storms in Australia. Areas in red got over 16 inches (400 millimeters) of rain over a two-week period. NASA.
When it rains, it pours. That old saying certainly holds true in parts of Australia. Days of heavy rain earlier this month triggered floods across the northern and eastern parts of the country. Parts of New South Wales saw their worst floods in twenty years. To the north, parts of Queensland were a soggy mess from the wet and wild weather.
In New South Wales, more than 3,000 people were trapped in towns cut off by rising floodwaters. Food and emergency supplies were dropped in by helicopter after roads and bridges washed out. Northern Territory was battered by Cyclone Helen and its howling winds and sheets of rain. The storm snapped trees and cut electrical and water service.
The good news is the torrential rain made a small dent in the severe drought that's plagued Australia. But water officials say the drought is far from over. It will take much more rain to pull out of it.
The satellite map shows rainfall totals over a two-week period covering the last week of December and first week of January. Areas in red were drenched with over 16 inches (400 millimeters) of rain. Orange shows areas that got more than 12 inches (300 mm), while areas in yellow received over 6 inches (200 mm).
