Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Today, 10th August 2010


Sooooo......today I received an email from Katherine (the town) in the Northern Territory (approx. 330kms south of Darwin) letting me know the dry season is in full swing. Which means in 'Territorian', tropical terms, it's now safe to organize a BBQ or other outdoor pursuit knowing it won't rain.

Having lived in Darwin in a past life, the tropical seasons in the 'Top End' and here in North Queensland are quite different.  

In the Top End they experience an intense build-up season, generally good 'wet seasons' with days and nights of endless heavy rain and predictable dry season days. 

I had an interesting experience in Darwin where I stood in the middle of my abode. When I looked through the window towards the front yard it was teeming rain and when I looked out the backyard the sunshine was bouncing off the purple bougainvillea!

The Top End also have life-enhancing storms, magnificent shows of nature, some of the best on earth I would contest. Words fail to describe the sensations experienced when witnessing these shows choreographed by nature. 
They are common too, just about everyday in the build-up, somewhere a storm cell will appear in the vast, blue background.

So the tropical season in Queensland? 

Seasons here stick to no routine, just do what they want, when they want. 
Good metaphor for us locals and why people are invading us in peacetime. 
They love our laid-back demeanor.

Here is what today looked like, in the middle of the dry season:



 These photos were taken about 4pm.

We get few storms here but cyclones are many.

According to Testaments from the Bureau of Meteorology (www.bom.gov.au), Queensland has on average 4.7 cyclones per year. I will research the NT and WA  tropical areas and report in another blog.

 The Bureau of Meteorology website is like oxygen to many in the northern tropical belt. 
  
www.bom.com.au is affectionately known locally as the 'bom(b) site'.
Comprehensive enough for me to check it out in the rainy season to decide whether to hang the washing out or not! The site is an excellent source of information about cyclones, so if you're a recent invader to the tropics, you can combat much fear if you inform yourself all about these natural phenomena.

Check it out for yourself. 
It covers the whole country and is tax money well-spent.

1 comment:

  1. Ah the good old BOM, invaluable in the cyclone season if you can get a signal with all the rain :-) It rained on the way home and up here as well. Billy just informed me there is another big low down off the west coast??? More storms?

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for dropping in....