Heavy rains, some associated with Tropical Storm Tasha, battered the Queensland coast of Australia in late December 2010. Tasha came ashore on December 25, 2010, just south of Cairns, according to the Herald Sun. As Tasha abated, a second low-pressure system formed off the coast, promising more precipitation. Forecasters expected heavy rain for several more days in almost every major Queensland town. Eighteen rivers were on flood watch throughout the state as of December 27.
This color-coded image shows rainfall amounts in Queensland from December 20 to 26, 2010. The heaviest rainfall—more than 400 millimeters or nearly 16 inches—appears in dark blue. The lightest amounts—less than 50 millimeters or 2 inches—appear in light green.
This image is based on data from the Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis produced at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, which estimates rainfall by combining measurements from many satellites and calibrating them using rainfall measurements from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite.
The Herald Sun reported that while eastern Australia flooded, the western part of the country sweltered, with some areas experiencing temperatures of more than 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).
References & Resources
- Cairns Post. (2010, December 27). Rain floods east, west parched. Herald Sun. Accessed December 27, 2010.
NASA image by Jesse Allen, using near-real-time data provided courtesy of TRMM Science Data and Information System at Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.
