Maleny Weather

The week’s inclement weather was the result of two separate air masses interacting to give rain, strong winds and big seas along our coastline. An upper level trough approaching from the north-west was the driving force behind the periods of heavy rain. As this trough line slowly moved seaward cells of east coast lows developed off-shore to bring more rain and whip up the surf still further. The steep pressure gradient between the fringes of the high in the Tasman Sea and the east coast lows was responsible for the strong winds experienced in some areas.

A computer glitch has resulted in a loss of email addresses. Will all weatherwatchers who have sent emails to malenyweather@ozemail.com.au in the past few weeks and received no acknowledgement todate please re-transmit their messages.

The big storm that drenched the Sunshine Coast 0n 18 – 21 May caused extensive flooding to low-lying areas for the second time this year. To the surprise of residents on the Blackall Ranges the expected severe weather forecasted by-passed them. This area was a corridor between two separate synoptic systems.  There was an upper level trough to the north and a deep surface trough in the Brisbane and Gold Coast districts. The deluge was confined to these two areas. Here at Maleny we recorded a modest 209 mm over four days, with the heaviest fall at 2.45 pm on Tuesday 19^th, with Rainfall Fall Rate measuring 188.8 mm /hour. The total month’s rainfall to-date is 241.2  mm, representing 99 mm over 117 years May average.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that the south-west monsoon, vital for ensuring a healthy agricultural output and GDP growth, is expected to hit the Kerala coast on 26 May, some five days ahead of the normal date.

Temperatures in Lahore, Pakistan, reached 41°C yesterday. Many cities in Pakistan are facing heatwave conditions with temperatures forecast to reach 50°C in some places, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

Successful and sustainable farming communities throughout the world have survived and developed by mastering the ability to adapt farming systems to widely varying weather and climatic conditions. These skills and practices must be effectively integrated and applied to make agricultural production more reliable, more efficient and above all more equitable in the world at large. That is the theme of an international workshop held in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, from 18 to 20 May 2009 to improve the long-term sustainability of farming and agriculture through improving practical weather and climate information output for farmers world-wide.

The outlook is for thickening high cloud to develop from the west during Monday ahead of a developing upper level trough with the possibility of some light showers.

The upper trough is likely to intensify on Tuesday bringing a belt of rain and isolated thunderstorms across the southern parts of the state. Also it is possible for the upper trough to produce significant rain areas over south-eastern Queensland from Tuesday through towards the end of the week. Eventually, a surface low is likely to develop during Wednesday near the southern Queensland coast. This could lead to areas of much heavier rainfall with strong winds along the coast and nearby inland, along with increasing swells and dangerous beach conditions.

Two high pressure systems, one in The Bight and the other in north Tasman Sea were responsible for the light winds and dry conditions on the Range. Lack of cloud cover overnight to trap the warmth of the day meant cooler nights and duvet weather. An upper level trough moved through the region with a little high level cloud that soon dissipated in the dry stable air conditions. An inland surface trough that could have brought a little precipitation to our region moved farther north. There has been no rain recorded at Maleny for ten days.

Unusually powerful mudslides and avalanches have killed at least 18 people, including seven children, in the Central Asian republic of Tajikistan this month, according to official reports. Tajikistan, is a former Soviet republic which plunged into civil war almost as soon as it became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Landslides happen every year in Tajikistan but they were stronger than usual this spring due to very heavy rainfall. That has added hardship to the mountainous nation of seven million already hit hard by the global economic downturn.

One such mudslide swept through the central streets of the capital, Dushanbe, last week, causing panic but no casualties

Somalia is undergoing its worst drought in a decade, with cattle dying from lack of water and growing numbers of children being propelled into near-famine conditions. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia said yesterday that some 3.2 million Somalis—some 45 per cent of the population—and 24 per cent of children under five, in some parts, are suffering from malnutrition.

An estimated 19 million people in the Horn of Africa are in urgent need of food aid. Drought and high local food prices have left 12 million people in Ethiopia and another 3.5 million in Kenya short of food supplies.