Crikey it’s wet

[kgwilson]

They had Cyclone Vaianu last week and in its wake it left a massively unstable weather pattern and the huge downpours and local flash flooding has caused much more damage than the cyclone did.

Here on the NE coast of NSW it is tinder dry. The grass is now completely browned off & crunchy to walk on. We are supposed to be getting showers today & the rest of the week but nothing at all as yet with a blue sky, full sun and a lot of wind.

[Litespeed]

Been windy in Port Stephens last 5 days, no rain

[old man emu]

Had a shit of a night's sleep last night! Kept getting woken up by the rain pounding on the roof. When I got up this morning water was laying is sheets across the ground. I had to go out and clear twigs and leaves from the drainage channels I dug back when the last big rains came.

 

I measured 50 mm in the rain guage, and it is still raining. The rain event is supposed to last for the next couple of days. 

[onetrack]

So, does this mean the Great Gilgandra Drought is over? I thought you said previously, you didn't have a rain gauge? Did you go out and buy one?

 

Here on the Left coast, we are due for steady rain from Wednesday afternoon right through to Monday. A strong cold front is coming through the lower part of the State on Wednesday night, and it will be followed by a decent rain-bearing depression with another sizeable cold front, on Sunday.

[old man emu]

I ws given a guage by a friend when I had said that I didn't know how much rain I had got in a previous rain event. I didn't know how weel it would catch the rain as the mouth is ony about an inch square. Also, I oftern wonder how well guages catch rain becasue they are set up vertically and rain normally falls at an angle. Anyway, what it captured is only indicative of the rainfall within its immediate surrounds. It doesn't tell yoou how much rain fell 100 metres away. 

 

We'll see by the end of the week if the drought is broken. 

[nomadpete]

At last!

Good to see you finally got some rain. Now you'll be complaining about having to buy a lawnmower.

 

Where we are, I'd have to say 'Crikey it's damp!'.

 

Every day we wake to grey wet mist, punctuated by bouts of drizzle. Forecast is the same for the forseeable future.

[old man emu]

My lawnmower has sat in the shed for two years. I hope it will start if needed.

[onetrack]

The BOM has good advice as regards setting up weather stations and recording equipment, giving useful advice as to location and placement. A rain gauge needs to be positioned between 0.3M and 1.0M from ground level to prevent splashback, and must be well clear of obstructions such as overhangs and buildings, to give good accuracy. 10M is the recommended clearance to buildings.

 

A good rain gauge has a wide metal funnel on top of a tubular metal support, with a graduated glass collector directly below the funnel. These are durable units and the funnel provides greater accuracy in catching rainfall.

 

Yes, there can be a wide variation in rainfall over relatiely small areas. The topography plays a big part in whether clouds drop their moisture, and often, the topography shape and effect is subtle.