Queensland Deluge Continues - Up To 9.8" Rain In 24 Hours - Sugar Export Estimates Cut By 25%

[hatrack]

(Reuters) - Heavy rain across much of eastern Australia left towns cut off by floods on Monday as the storms spread southwards and threatened agriculture and mining, forecasters said. The deluge over the Christmas weekend has gradually moved south from northeastern Queensland to hit agricultural areas of New South Wales, with further rainfall forecast for coming days.

Up to 250 mm of rain was recorded in the 24 hours to 6 p.m. EST Sunday in parts of Queensland, as the remains of a tropical cyclone that hit the coast on Saturday moved across inland areas, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said. Sugar planters, wheat growers and coal miners in the affected states are among those likely to be hardest hit.

Several towns had been cut off in both states by rising floodwaters, while emergency services have evacuated families in the worst-hit areas. Gale warnings were issued for some coastal areas. Flood warnings were in place on Monday for more than a dozen rivers in each state, while forecasters warned of the potential for flash flooding.

Much of the rain has fallen on key sugar growing areas of Queensland. Australia, a top sugar exporter along with Brazil and Thailand, this month slashed its current year sugar export forecast by 25 percent as flooding reduced sugar content of cane. The crop damage over recent weeks has helped propel sugar prices to 30-year highs and forced the nation's biggest sugar exporter, Queensland Sugar Ltd (QSL), to buy more raw sugar from Brazil and Thailand to meet its export commitments following the wettest spring on record.

EDIT

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BQ0EL20101228?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

[OnlinePoker]

1. Meanwhile, on the west coast, Perth is going through one of the worst droughts ever

With 2 days left to go in the year, they are short 349.4 mm (13.756 inches) from a normal 852.6 mm (33.567 inches).

http://www.watercorporation.com.au/R/rainfall.cfm

Perth's reservoirs are only sitting at 31.1% capacity, even with 15-20% of their water coming from a desalination plant.