Severe Drought in Australia

[Anonymous]

Over the past few months, Australia has been facing a MAJOR drought. Fires have been reported all over the country. The main cause of the drought is El Nino. During El Nino years, warm water usually in the WPAC moves into the EPAC. The cooler waters off of the Australian coast limits the amount of rainfall. I will be posting often about the drought and if any relief is from the drought is expected.

[Anonymous]

Fire bans are likely to be declared in the greater Brisbane area this week, despite the recent rain.

Total fire bans are already in place across south-east Queensland including the Gold Coast, Logan, Ipswich, Beaudesert, Gatton, Laidley and Esk.

The bans will be reviewed tomorrow.

District Inspector of the Rural Fire Service Bernie Trembath says recent rain has not been enough to reduce the danger and it is likely that Brisbane will be added to the list.

"I'll be talking to them prior to the reintroduction of the bans to see whether greater Brisbane area should be included," he said.

"There must be significant rain otherwise if we only get these sorts of showers and it moves away then the conditions will only be only be reduced perhaps for two or three days maximum and then we'll be back to exactly the same danger levels we were prior to this."

[Anonymous]

There may be some relief on the horizon for outback graziers, with predictions of a 60 to 70 per cent chance of above average rainfall in Queensland's far west between February and April.

Latest forecasts show the band from Camooweal to Charleville has the best chance of receiving relief rain, while most of the state has a 40 per cent likelihood during coming months.

Dr Roger Stone from the Queensland Centre for Climate Applications says the coastal strip between Rockhampton and Maryborough is also well placed for potential falls.

"This especially applies roughly in the line from Camooweal to Charleville where the chances of getting normal rainfall for this particular time of the year, and I emphasis that's [the] February through April period, the chances of getting above normal rainfall is [in the] 60 to 70 per cent range," he said.

[chadtm80]

Does this happen often to them??

Here is some things i found on the matter.







Firefighters are continuing backburning operations across the north-east of Victoria ahead of more predicted hot weather mid week.

The alpine fires have burnt more than 900,000 hectares and are now threatening a number of Gippsland towns.

The total fire edge now stretches 1,700 kilometres from Mt Buffalo to Deddick Valley, east of the Snowy River.

The Department of Sustainability says towns including Dargo, Swifts Creek, Ensay, Buckhan, Bendoc and Deddick will be at threat when when northerly winds strengthen later in the week.

The department's Mike Leonard says only significant rain will extinguish the blazes.

Firefighters are taking advantage of the current mild weather to backburn along the southern edge of the fire.

Overnight, crews built containment lines and backburned in the Mountain Creek, Mitta Mitta, Wabba Wilderness Park and Mount Beauty areas.

The EPA has issued a smoke alert for Melbourne today.

Another Result of the Drought
Drought forces up egg prices

The effect of the drought is now taking hold over the egg industry, forcing prises to rise.
The Australian Egg Industry Association says egg producers are being forced to increase their prices if they are to continue supply, because of the increasing cost of chicken feed.

One average the price of one dozen eggs is expected to rise from $2.50 to $2.80.

The association's president Jeff Ironside says he urges consumers to be understanding.

"Feed costs when they are high like this are probably about 70 per cent [of] our returns... so it's a pretty horrendous proportion of input costs."

[Anonymous]

Severe droughts like the one Australians are facing this year don't occur too often. The last major drought in Queensland was in 1996.

http://www.oesr.qld.gov.au/data/data_fs ... 5.htm~main