Atlas St John gets cool under the sprinkler as Gympie endures a record dry start to November.
Renee Pilcher
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GYMPIE has recorded its driest start to November on record with no rain now for 31 consecutive days.
The drought makes it the longest dry spell in 20 years for any month.
Lawns and paddocks have turned brown, tanks have run dry and water carriers are barely managing to meet demand.
As water levels in dams and tanks have dwindled, water carriers have found it increasingly difficult to keep up with demand.
Thousands of residents are hoping the "weather man" has got it right, and that the big dry will come to end today or tomorrow, with storms forecast for the region this evening and possible rain tomorrow.
Weather Channel spokesman Tom Saunders said yesterday Gympie's average November rainfall was 90mm and its driest ever November was back in 1919, when the city received just 1.3mm of rain.
Senior weather bureau forecaster Peter Otto said the region should receive about 20mm before the weekend, with more rain expected west of the range.
"This could be some of the more significant rain you would have seen in a month or two," he said.
"But it looks more than likely to be heavier to the west (up to 50mm). It's spring also, so that forecast could change in the next 24 hours.
"Over the state this is one of the most significant bands of rain we have seen in quite a few weeks, if not months.
"The difference now is we are starting to see a lot of storms over the Northern Territory and that moisture is starting to be brought towards us."
The national outlook for summer still shows a 60-80% chance of above median rainfall for south-east Queensland, with La Nina conditions slowly building in the tropical Pacific. The majority of leading climate models predict current patterns and trends will continue, with the event forecast to peak towards the end of 2011, and persist into early 2012.
http://www.gympietimes.com.au/story/2011/11/22/morcombe-case-triggered-threats-gympie-court/
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