Seems you and I have a water issue - too much of it! Mine frozen (sister and niece still no power - day 6), yours torrents of it.Saturday 5th of April 11.04a.m. Sunny & warm after a cool start. 13.8 / 17.3kph WSW, Hg 42% (no wonder I'm feeling so energised), 22.8C / 72.7 top of 23C / 73F. Sunny. Marine wind warning.
Moon is 50%
Townsville sets new annual rainfall record, just over three months into 2025
2 hours 30 mins ago
Castle Hill in Townsville has been closed to tourists for much of March, due to landslips. (ABC North Qld: Georgia Loney)
Townsville, Australia's largest northern city, has already recorded its wettest year on record, just three months and five days into 2025.
The city has now received 2,419.8 mm of rain to 6am Saturday, topping the 2,400mm rainfall record set in 2000.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Felim Hanniffy said the rainfall was extraordinary.
"We have beaten the annual record now which isn't too bad going when you consider it's only early April," he said.
He indicated while the worst was over, isolated falls of up to 100mm were still possible for the remainder of the day before the Townsville area starts to dry out in the next week.
"We still remain in a very unsettled and wet pattern overall, and that pattern is likely to continue for the first half of April," he said.
Townsville avoided the widespread devastation the monsoonal floods wreaked in Ingham.
But there was still a significant impact in the city.
In February, the city recorded its wettest month on record with 1,198mm — more than the city's annual average rainfall.
Thirty homes were inundated.
On March 19, the city received 300mm in a day — its wettest day on record.
Townsville Local Disaster Management Group chair Cr Andrew Robinson said the flooding had put a mental strain on people and infrastructure.
"I think people are just weather-fatigued overall in Townsville, " he said.
"With a cyclone you prepare for it... but this has been one constant slog."
The weather has brought long and lasting damage to roads in Paluma and Magnetic Island, as well as Townsville city.
"We have done 2,433 pothole repairs, some are only patchwork, because the road is still wet," he said.
The estimated bill for fixing unsealed roads alone was at $10 million.
I agree. Constant rain and wet conditions is traumatising, and the health issues are far-reaching long after the rain has ended.
