Lake Eyre Tours & Flights to 2015 Floods
More flooding forecast for SA’s north-east as heavy rains arrive
Updated
Widespread flooding is expected in South Australia today, with falls of up to 200 millimetres forecast in the state’s north-east.
Further flooding was forecast for the town of Marree right through to Broken Hill, with the town of Tieyon, near the Northern Territory border, already receiving about 120mm in the past 24 hours.
It was a “fairly rare” event for such heavy rain to fall in the state’s north-east, the Bureau of Meteorology’s Brett Gage said.
“But I have seen it before in the last 10 years … In the north-east pastoral district it may be only a one in 20- or 30-year event,” he said.
Marree had already received 33mm in the past 24 hours and flooding had occured.
Pilot Trevor Wright from William Creek, near Lake Eyre, said he had been preparing as best he could for the onslaught of rain.
“We’ve made sure telecommunications are alright, stocked up on food and we’ve moved our planes out of the hanger onto the aprons so that if we need to use them and it’s safe to do so, they are available,” he said.
The transport department closed a number of roads in the state’s outback due to flooding, including the Birdsville Track from Mungeranie to Marree, the Oodnadatta Track from William Creek to Marree and the Strzelecki Track from Mount Hopeless to Lyndhurst.
Heavy rainfall was also forecast for the town of Renmark in the state’s Riverland.
Clare in the mid-north received 42mm in the past 24 hours, Wilmington near Port Augusta, received 41mm, while Mindarie in the Murray Mallee received 38mm. Arkaroola in the Northern Flinders Ranges received 92mm.
Local pilot Doug Sprigg said the rain had been welcomed to drought-affected areas.
“Our waterholes in the major Arkaroola creek have receded to a fair extent and it would be really lovely to get those cleaned out,” he said.
“The animals are already loving the rain that we’re getting at the moment. We’re being met by yellow-footed rock wallabies when we walk out the door even, so they’re very, very active and loving it.”
Towns in the Adelaide Hills recorded rainfall of between 10 to 24mm.
Gorge Road, which was closed during the Sampson Flat bushfire that started on Friday last week, will remain shut over the weekend because of the potential for rock falls in the slippery conditions.
Country Fire Service (CFS) deputy chief officer Andrew Lawson said too much rain could affect water supplies.
Several hundred hay bales had been placed around Millbrook Reservoir to stop erosion washing too much ash and other dirt into the water.
Despite heavy rainfall forecasts, the SES said it responded to just 13 callouts overnight, mostly for trees that had fallen down in metropolitan areas.
Adelaide Airport received just six millimetres in the past 24 hours with the city forecast to receive another two to six millimetres today.
Original Article and More Pictures thanks to ABC http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-10/more-flooding-forecast-for-sa-as-heavy-rains-arrive/6010110
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