A much milder day in Lewis today, and not too bad in terms of weather. The ice has nearly all gone now, and for the first time since November 26th, I am seeing green grass again. That is seven weeks... I'm nonetheless not complaining about weather, certainly not after seeing the devastation wrought in Queensland. An area of about 300,000 sq miles is inundated there, after rainfalls of 11 inches within 24 hours in places. The death toll continues to rise slowly, but once this is all over, it will be much, much higher than the dozen or so currently on the list. This video shows the incredible power of the water as it rises in a flash flood, emptying a car park of cars and not in the conventional manner.
Meanwhile, two tropical cyclones are around Australia as well. Vince is headed for the west coast of Australia, but is not expected to affect mainland WA. Vania is expected to pass near or over New Caledonia by Friday. My tropical cyclones blog is taking its usual high number of readings, with nearly 700 today. The one-day record of 2,300, taken when cyclone Gamede threatened Mauritius in 2007, is yet to be bettered.
