Springbrook soaks up year of records
SPRINGBROOK has endured its wettest year on record with a whopping 3000mm of rain falling in the Hinterland region last year.
Springbrook smashed the 2010 record of 2872.2mm by more than 100mm, with 3025mm falling in the area – three times the amount recorded on the Gold Coast.
Springbrook also recorded its wettest day in 27 years, when 500mm fell on March 31.
It’s a stark comparison to the Gold Coast region, which recorded its driest year since 2009.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Chris Joseph said the big wet was due to Springbrook’s location and extropical cyclone Debbie.
“Springbrook is at an elevation on the ranges, it tends to see more rainfall because of the uplift in moisture,” he said.
“It’s the ‘sweet spot’ for rain ... but the area also got a lot of rain from ex-tropical cyclone Debbie.
“(Ex-TC Debbie) brought a tremendous amount of rain ... it was a freak event.”
The Bureau of Meteorology released its annual climate statement on Wednesday, which recorded the state’s warmest year ever.
Coolangatta recorded an average temperature of 21.2C, up from 20.9C in 2016.
The highest temperature at Coolangatta last year was 35.6C, on Christmas Day, while the Gold Coast Seaway recorded a similar 35.7C on the same day.
Mr Joseph said the warmer temperatures would have also contributed to the extra rain and he did not rule out more record-breaking rainfall events for the area.
“I’m not saying it won’t happen again, it probably will,” he said.
“More rainfall is possible from the warmer atmosphere.”
Mr Joseph said there had been disruptions in normal weather patterns for the past few years, due to global warming.
The Mouses House Rainforest Retreat owner, Wayne Randall, said he wasn’t surprised so much rain had fallen.
“It’s a part of living in a pristine and beautiful environment,” he said. “It can be annoying and frustrating ... We have our fair share of blackouts, but it’s part and parcel of nature’s storm systems.”
He said the region was still recovering from cyclone Debbie’s devastation, which closed main roads into the mountain.
“Some are still slowly getting repaired,” he said. “It’s disappointing it’s taking so long.”
The Gold Coast-Springbrook road is expected to reopen by the end of this year.
Mr Randall said on the plus side the high rainfall filled water tanks.
“We are not on town water here, so we do need rain.”
According to the BOM annual climate statement, the Gold Coast sweltered through the month of July, with “very much above average” temperatures.
February, April and September were some of the driest months, while November recorded a drop in average temperatures.
IT’S THE ‘SWEET SPOT’ FOR RAIN ... BUT THE AREA ALSO GOT A LOT OF RAIN FROM EX-TROPICAL CYCLONE DEBBIE. FORECASTER CHRIS JOSEPH