Category: Posts EN

Weekend Deluge in Brisbane, Australia as Ex-Cyclone Alfred Crawls Nearby

Written by Team Morecast

 

Cyclone Alfred slowly approached southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales from mid- to late last week with increasing winds and rains. Alfred made landfall near Moreton Bay Friday night and has been moving slowly north and west the past few days. The slow forward movement and surge of tropical moisture on the south side of the circulation has led to severe flooding, including in the Brisbane metro.

 

 

Alfred was a borderline Category Two cyclone as it approached land. Days of storm surge and massive waves led to severe erosion of the coastline. Wind gusts of 90-115 kph (55-70 mph) were common from Brisbane down to the northeast NSW coast. These winds combined with the rain-weakened soils have brought many trees and powerlines down. At one point Friday night there were over 300,000 customers without power in southeast QLD alone.

 

 

 

However, as the cyclone has weakened and slowed to a crawl, the most significant hazard has increasingly been severe flooding. The heaviest rains fell first in the hills of northeast NSW and the QLD-NSW border from mid to late last week. As Alfred moved north, the focus shifted to the Brisbane region this weekend with rainfall rates peaking Sunday and Sunday night upwards of 80 mm (3 in) / 3 hr. A stationary band in the Hervey Bay area dropped 108 mm (4.3 in) in one hour! Overall totals of 300-600 mm (12-24 in) have been common from southeast QLD to northeast NSW. Isolated totals up to 800 mm (31.5 in) have been recorded in the favorable terrain. These tremendous falls have led to severe flash flooding in Brisbane and elsewhere with houses and roads inundated and cars stranded. Runoff will prolong the threat of creek and river flooding through the week. Lead photo courtesy flickr user David Jackmanson.

Record Snowfall Buries Parts of Hokkaido Prefecture in Japan

Written by Team Morecast

 

Twin low pressure systems rapidly intensifying near northern Japan have driven a surge of Arctic air down into the region. At the same time rich Pacific moisture is being funneled in from the east. The combination has brought tremendously heavy snow to the region with records being smashed across eastern Hokkaido Island.

 

 

 

Snowfall fell heaviest overnight on Monday. The city of Obihiro, population 163,000, reported 120 cm (47 inches) in just 12 hours, far exceeding the old national record. The nearby cities of Memuro, Urahoro, and Shiranuka also saw all-time records fall. Drifting snow has buried cars, closed many roads, and disrupted rail services. Airports across Hokkaido have been forced to cancel dozens of flights. Additional heavy snows will affect much of Japan away from the coastal areas with up to 200 cm (79 inches) expected to blitz the central Honshu ranges through the end of the week.

 

 

Snows of this magnitude aren’t unheard of in Japan. The record for deepest snow depth ever measured in the Northern Hemisphere was 11.8 m (38.8 feet) on Mt. Ibuki in February of 1927. However, the winter of 2024-25 so far had been unusually mild and lacking snow. In fact, the annual Sapporo Snow Festival scheduled to start on Tuesday had been facing cancellation until, ironically, the current snowstorm saved it.

Tropical Low Dumping Historic Rainfall on Northeast Queensland, Australia

Written by Team Morecast

 

A small but well-organized tropical low has been basically stationary near the northeast coast of Queensland for the past three days. Moist onshore flow has persisted throughout the period on the south side of the low. Favorable terrain features have enhanced rainfall rates up to 40-50 mm/hr (2″/hr), leading to serious flooding.

 

 


The heaviest rain bands have been affecting the area between Ingham and Townsville. Some stations in this zone have seen staggering totals upwards of 1,000 mm (40 inches) in the past few days. Rollingstone, QLD recorded 702 mm (27.6 inches) in just 24 hours leading up to Sunday morning alone. Three-day totals of 1,200 mm (47 inches) have been tallied there through Sunday afternoon. Even in this tropical environment, these prodigious rainfall amounts have overwhelmed streams and rivers. Major flood warnings are in effect for the Herbert, Haughton, Burdekin, Ross, and Bohle Rivers. Some of these rivers are expected to reach levels not seen in nearly 50 years. The surging flood waters have forced thousands to evacuate their homes in the suburbs of Townsville. These torrential rain bands are not expected to diminish until at least Tuesday morning, though hopefully they will shift slightly away from the hardest-hit areas. Lead photo courtesy Wikipedia contributor Shaqueeta.

 

Historic Blizzard Buries the U.S. Gulf Coast

Written by Team Morecast

 

An Arctic air mass has brought record-breaking cold to much of the Central and Eastern USA. Meanwhile, an unusual surge of Gulf moisture back into the cold air yielded heavy snow across the South and Southeast. The result is unprecedent snow accumulations along with high winds. Unheard of blizzard conditions have blitzed the Gulf Coast states (see video just below).

 

 

 

A light wintry mix affected much of southeast Texas starting Monday evening. Ice accumulations were reported almost to the Mexican border. However, the heavy snow really increased early Tuesday from southeast Texas into southern Louisiana. Snowfall rates exceeded 1″/hr (2.5 cm/hr) for several hours. Winds also increased with gusts up to 40 mph (65 kph) blowing the snow around and reducing visibilities even further. In response the National Weather Service issued the first ever blizzard warning for the Gulf coast. Later in the day the heavy snow band expanded into southern portions of Mississippi and Alabama and northwest Florida. As of late Tuesday evening, it is beginning to affect the eastern Carolinas.

 

 

 

Snowfall records have been shattered throughout these regions. Lafayette, Louisiana saw 10.5″ (27 cm) after reporting thundersnow at one point Tuesday morning. New Orleans reported 8″ (20 cm), more than double the previous daily record of 3.5″ (9 cm), with unofficial reports nearby of up to a foot (30 cm). Snowfall totaled 7.5″ (19 cm) at Mobile, Alabama, with drifts up to 16 inches (40 cm). Florida more than doubled their previous state record for snowfall with 8.8″ (22 cm) at Milton. The local infrastructure was never designed to handle snowfall of this magnitude in this region. Travel has been strongly discouraged if not outright prohibited, and many communities are without power tonight.