We have been having rain and tropical storms everyday this week. For weeks now we have been having lots of rain. All our dams are full and water has to be released so that they don't overfill. This is such a stark contrast to a year ago when Brisbane was running out of water and our dams were down to 15%.The government built a desalination plant for millions of dollars and now it is in mothballs. We are all growing webs between our toes and fungus on our skin.
A few days ago we had a hail storm which caused a lot of damage in nearby suburbs but we were lucky and escaped damage. It was a very hot day and the hail was melting as soon as it hit the ground. If you strain your eyes you can see the hail falling.
I managed to grab a ball before it completely melted but it was as big as a golf ball when I picked it up.
The very next day we had a whopping storm. At 1:00 in the afternoon the sky grew so dark that the street lights and our garden lights automatically turned on. The sky was scary and you can see how dark it was inside. Everyone in the street had their lights on. On the news I heard there were 35,000 lightning strikes in Brisbane.
I have increased the exposure so that you can see the rain. It was coming down in torrents. The gutters had no chance of coping. The garden paths and road became rivers. Our balcony was soaking.
At the front and the back of the house I could hardly see beyond our garden. The rain was like a sheet of water. It reminded me of when I lived in the tropics in New Guinea. Today it hasn't stopped all day. We are lucky we live on the side of a hill and we don't get flooded like many other places around town.
That is one big ball of ice! It's raining here in Melbourne too but not as heavy as in Brisbane.
ReplyDeleteYes, Diane, I am sick to death of it, as is my umbrella, which has taken a battering from the wind gusts also. However, when it does stop, we still will be drenched with sweat from the humidity!!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like Christmas day will also be lovely this year - RAIN!!!!
How many days until Autumn? Maybe it will stop then!!!!!!
Your mate in "QUACKSVILLE"
Colin (HB)
Wow, that looks scary - especially the one where it's so dark. Amazing photos Diane. It doesn't sound very summery! The weather patterns across the whole world seem to be going berserk. I've never known it so cold here for so long - minus 15℃ last night in some parts.
ReplyDeleteHi Diane! I dislike rain to say the least... ;) The last time I saw something similar to what you show was in the Seychelles... in the dry season, they said... ;)
ReplyDeleteIt will be better anyhow...
Blogtrotter Two is moving south on the Nile: water, greenery and desert… And sun!!
Enjoy and have a great week!
Blimey, thats extreme weather. I hope it stops soon. xxxx
ReplyDeleteOnce again, amazing pictures Diane.
ReplyDeleteWe have missed out on many of the storms in the Hunter Valley.
that's a lot of rain. typical torrential tropical rain. i know it's a bit crazy all over atm. it's been really windy here all day today. really windy. and a bit wet too. the wind was quite cold. amazing weather for christmas. hope it all settles down soon. i expect we'll be complaining about the heat soon enough. :( great pics as usual.
ReplyDeleteWe have been getting regular rain, but nothing like what you have received.
ReplyDeleteYou are fortunate you didn't have any damage with hail that size! We had hail like that once when we lived in Miami, FL...I was teaching fourth grade and the kids just couldn't believe it. "ICE fell from the sky...feel, Mrs. P, see, it's cold. It's REAL ICE and it fell from the sky.." I've never seen large hail like that since (it must have all accumulated and moved to your part of the world)...
ReplyDeleteI don't know what is going on in the world, but every weather is extreme at the moment. You have heavy rainfall, here and the rest of Europe have the heaviest snowfall for years. And the season has only begun.... Well at least we have internet and blogs to communicate.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a scary looking afternoon. You captured it well. We're also having LOTS of rain but days of sunshine in between. Have a great week. Greetings from Jo
ReplyDeleteWow that is a lot of rain! The thought of 35,000 lightening strikes is very scary. Hope the weather improves soon.
ReplyDelete☼ Sunny
Wow! I've never seen such gigantic hail. Your photos capture the drama of the dark day. We are having rain too, forecast for every day this week...but not so violent as your storm.
ReplyDeleteWhat torrential rain! Please don't wash away. I enjoy reading your blog too much. :-)
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was a girl living in the subtropics, the rain coming down so hard that the street we lived on turned into a river. Cars floated down the street.
We are having it here in California too. Started raining yesterday, poured last night and still pouring now. They say it won't let up until just before Christmas. They are also saying that this may be our worst storm in the past 10 years.
ReplyDeleteKay
Wow! Just ... wow! I love how you have so much forest behind your house. It's so pretty to look out on. I hope some of Kay's rain in California heads this way. We could use it.
ReplyDeleteThat's the old Queensland. The one people used to remember with nostalgia during the drought. For me a difference with Qld rain is that it is warm, I used to love splashing about in the gutters during and after rainstorms as a kid and loved to watch the lightening and hail from the verandah. Here the rain pelts down and it gets colder and colder. I'm not expecting any summer this year. Might be lighting the pot belly stove for Christmas the way the weather is going.
ReplyDeleteThat's a big hailstone. No hail in Sydney but really cool today.
ReplyDeleteGee, now that is a lot of rain. Is this unusual for you or is it your rainy season? I hope it stops soon. Take Care.
ReplyDeleteYes, Eileen it is our wet season but we have already had what we usually get in December.
ReplyDeleteToo bad we cannot share your rain! We are in a drouth and fire burn ban here. I'm glad that you didn't get any damage from the hail. Your gardens certainly look lush with all that rain. Hope it stops soon for you.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
CottonLady
It is just so beautiful to be able to see and almost feel and smell your rain from your outstanding photos, Diane!
ReplyDeleteI know you feel it's all been a bit too much, but from where I'm standing, I wish it were us! We're having a hot, dry, windy time and any rain, even too much (although I never feel I can have too much!) would be the very best Christmas gift ever!
It's great to know all of your dams are full and overflowing.
Thank you for yet another wonderful post!
Looks like Belgium the whole year ! You will see if it continues your feet become flippers !
ReplyDeleteMust be terrible when it is hot and so much water is falling down !
We are all sitting in a big mess, Belgium, Germany, France and the UK ! Airports closed because of snow, thousands of people not from the EU are blocked in transit and the Red Cross has to take care of them, in our street we have 25 cm snow, impossible to go out ! The city has not enough salt for all little streets, so only the main streets are more or less free. I honnestly can't remember such a winter and such a lot of snow !
that's a lot of rain! that reminds me of home during the typhoon season.
ReplyDeletePics speak a thousand words, wonderful images Heavy rain to be sure but up here on the hill the combined dams are still under 40%, that may change in the next few days...
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Christmas and New Year. As always your blog uplifts and so enjoyed your descriptive trip to the Lake, a little off putting the initial lunch arrangements. Your travel writings should be published so entertaining and incisive.
Kind Regards,
Lizzie
Weird and eerie looking. Climate change seems to be coming to everyplace! (I guess they warned us.) It is really strange to think about hail when it is so hot out! Stay dry and cozy and have a happy Christmas.
ReplyDeleteif only there is a computer that controls how much rain falls.
ReplyDeleteLast week, we had 4 days non stop of rain.