Latest news with #ByronWritersFestival
The Guardian
a day ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Sydney has wettest start to August in decades – and there could be more rain when spring arrives
After Sydney's soggiest start to August in nearly three decades, even more rain could be on the way with a wetter than usual spring forecast for eastern New South Wales. Only 11 days into August, rainfall in the city had reached 194mm – more than double the monthly average – marking the wettest start to the month since 1998, according to Weatherzone. Moist onshore winds had delivered a weekend washout, and so much rain the Byron Writers festival had to be called off, as 90,0000 runners in Sydney's City2Surf persevered in spite of the slippery conditions. Along or near much of the NSW coastline – from the Illawarra to Sydney, the Hunter, mid north coast and some parts of the north coast – totals had already hit or exceeded the monthly average, said Jonathan How, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology. Abnormally high sea surface temperatures off the state's coast had contributed to the wet conditions, he said, boosting the moisture content of clouds, as a persistent high pressure system over New Zealand kept pushing rain and moisture on to the coast. The wet start to August followed a wetter than usual July, in which several places recorded their highest July rain on record. And eight months into 2025, Sydney was already tracking wetter than average, said How. That came off the back of three out of four years with rainfall well above average, including 2022 – the city's wettest on record. Sign up: AU Breaking News email The NSW east coast was generally 'quite a wet place', said University of Melbourne associate professor Andrew King, but for many residents – particularly from the mid north coast upwards – this year had been rainier than usual. 'We have seen some really major rain events this year,' he said. Particularly after several places recorded their wettest May on record, when a low pressure trough developed off the coast of NSW on 18 May, and lingered for days. King said the NSW coastline was subject to various types of systems that created the conditions for rising air, condensation and rain – thunderstorms, fronts from the west, winds from the east bringing coastal showers, and east coast lows – all of which could bring heavy rainfall to the eastern coast of NSW, including Sydney. In an average year, Sydney received more than a metre (1,044mm) of rain, roughly double the amount that falls in Melbourne (518mm), Adelaide (547mm) and Hobart (569mm), according to Bureau of Meteorology climate data for 1981-2010. Sydney was the third wettest capital city, after Darwin and Brisbane. But that wasn't the whole picture, How said. August had been a completely different story inland. It was very wet in the east, but also very, very dry in the west, with many places receiving 'next to no rainfall so far this month'. The Bureau's long range forecast for September to November anticipated above-average rainfall would continue for the eastern two-thirds of Australia, with an increased chance of unusually high rainfall (in the highest 20% of records between 1981 and 2018) for parts of eastern Queensland, NSW, south-east SA and northern Victoria. With northern Australia expected to get wetter, and the south-west of the country drier due to global heating, the projections for rainfall in NSW weren't as clearcut, King said. At least in the short term – for the week ahead – Sydneysiders could at least look forward to one or two fine days. 'The good news is that the heaviest of the rain is now behind us,' How said, with drier days returning and Friday likely to be the 'pick of the week'.
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Advertiser
It's a washout: heavy rain ends beloved Byron festival
A beloved writers' festival has been cancelled, with hundreds who travelled from interstate for the event left hanging as torrential rain buckets the east coast. Wet weather left thick mud and rivulets of water running through the parklands, leading to the cancellation of the Byron Writers Festival. Linda Brucesmith travelled from Brisbane to Bangalow for the festival and said torrential rain on Friday drowned out some of the speakers. "The grounds were saturated and the mud was incredibly slippery," she told AAP. "I grabbed at a wall at one point, to stop from falling. "A car bogged on the way to the parking field and the rain on the marquees was so loud at times it was hard to hear the speakers." Josh Bassett arrived yesterday and was met with muddy grounds but things only got worse when a torrential storm hit while his wife was on stage. The ovals began to flood and one of the marquees lost power, causing an evacuation. "Everyone had their feet up on chairs because there was two inches of water in the tent," he told AAP. "There was an electrical smell, and we all sat there nervously as the water rose around us." Festival organisers notified attendees on Friday night that the "difficult decision" had been made to cancel the event due to the ongoing rain. "This is a deeply regrettable but necessary decision," artistic director Jessica Alice said. "Though we had a wonderful but wet first day, now the safety of our community is our highest priority." Ms Brucesmith was disappointed the festival had been cancelled but believed it was the right call due to the conditions. She plans to stay in Bangalow for the rest of the weekend despite the cancellation. The Bureau of Meteorology had warned there would be rain throughout Saturday from NSW's Wollongong north to Coolangatta in Queensland. "Modest rainfall totals between five and 20mm but that annoying pattern of weather where it might rain for 15 or 30 minutes, dry up for an hour, then that rain comes through again," meteorologist Angus Hines said. There had been about 40mm of rain in 24 hours around the Byron Bay area, the bureau said. The Hervey Bay Whale Festival in southern Queensland was also cancelled this weekend due to the forecast wet weather. More than 90,000 people might need to wear rain jackets and prepare for soaked feet as they run the 14km from the city's CBD to Bondi. A beloved writers' festival has been cancelled, with hundreds who travelled from interstate for the event left hanging as torrential rain buckets the east coast. Wet weather left thick mud and rivulets of water running through the parklands, leading to the cancellation of the Byron Writers Festival. Linda Brucesmith travelled from Brisbane to Bangalow for the festival and said torrential rain on Friday drowned out some of the speakers. "The grounds were saturated and the mud was incredibly slippery," she told AAP. "I grabbed at a wall at one point, to stop from falling. "A car bogged on the way to the parking field and the rain on the marquees was so loud at times it was hard to hear the speakers." Josh Bassett arrived yesterday and was met with muddy grounds but things only got worse when a torrential storm hit while his wife was on stage. The ovals began to flood and one of the marquees lost power, causing an evacuation. "Everyone had their feet up on chairs because there was two inches of water in the tent," he told AAP. "There was an electrical smell, and we all sat there nervously as the water rose around us." Festival organisers notified attendees on Friday night that the "difficult decision" had been made to cancel the event due to the ongoing rain. "This is a deeply regrettable but necessary decision," artistic director Jessica Alice said. "Though we had a wonderful but wet first day, now the safety of our community is our highest priority." Ms Brucesmith was disappointed the festival had been cancelled but believed it was the right call due to the conditions. She plans to stay in Bangalow for the rest of the weekend despite the cancellation. The Bureau of Meteorology had warned there would be rain throughout Saturday from NSW's Wollongong north to Coolangatta in Queensland. "Modest rainfall totals between five and 20mm but that annoying pattern of weather where it might rain for 15 or 30 minutes, dry up for an hour, then that rain comes through again," meteorologist Angus Hines said. There had been about 40mm of rain in 24 hours around the Byron Bay area, the bureau said. The Hervey Bay Whale Festival in southern Queensland was also cancelled this weekend due to the forecast wet weather. More than 90,000 people might need to wear rain jackets and prepare for soaked feet as they run the 14km from the city's CBD to Bondi. A beloved writers' festival has been cancelled, with hundreds who travelled from interstate for the event left hanging as torrential rain buckets the east coast. Wet weather left thick mud and rivulets of water running through the parklands, leading to the cancellation of the Byron Writers Festival. Linda Brucesmith travelled from Brisbane to Bangalow for the festival and said torrential rain on Friday drowned out some of the speakers. "The grounds were saturated and the mud was incredibly slippery," she told AAP. "I grabbed at a wall at one point, to stop from falling. "A car bogged on the way to the parking field and the rain on the marquees was so loud at times it was hard to hear the speakers." Josh Bassett arrived yesterday and was met with muddy grounds but things only got worse when a torrential storm hit while his wife was on stage. The ovals began to flood and one of the marquees lost power, causing an evacuation. "Everyone had their feet up on chairs because there was two inches of water in the tent," he told AAP. "There was an electrical smell, and we all sat there nervously as the water rose around us." Festival organisers notified attendees on Friday night that the "difficult decision" had been made to cancel the event due to the ongoing rain. "This is a deeply regrettable but necessary decision," artistic director Jessica Alice said. "Though we had a wonderful but wet first day, now the safety of our community is our highest priority." Ms Brucesmith was disappointed the festival had been cancelled but believed it was the right call due to the conditions. She plans to stay in Bangalow for the rest of the weekend despite the cancellation. The Bureau of Meteorology had warned there would be rain throughout Saturday from NSW's Wollongong north to Coolangatta in Queensland. "Modest rainfall totals between five and 20mm but that annoying pattern of weather where it might rain for 15 or 30 minutes, dry up for an hour, then that rain comes through again," meteorologist Angus Hines said. There had been about 40mm of rain in 24 hours around the Byron Bay area, the bureau said. The Hervey Bay Whale Festival in southern Queensland was also cancelled this weekend due to the forecast wet weather. More than 90,000 people might need to wear rain jackets and prepare for soaked feet as they run the 14km from the city's CBD to Bondi. A beloved writers' festival has been cancelled, with hundreds who travelled from interstate for the event left hanging as torrential rain buckets the east coast. Wet weather left thick mud and rivulets of water running through the parklands, leading to the cancellation of the Byron Writers Festival. Linda Brucesmith travelled from Brisbane to Bangalow for the festival and said torrential rain on Friday drowned out some of the speakers. "The grounds were saturated and the mud was incredibly slippery," she told AAP. "I grabbed at a wall at one point, to stop from falling. "A car bogged on the way to the parking field and the rain on the marquees was so loud at times it was hard to hear the speakers." Josh Bassett arrived yesterday and was met with muddy grounds but things only got worse when a torrential storm hit while his wife was on stage. The ovals began to flood and one of the marquees lost power, causing an evacuation. "Everyone had their feet up on chairs because there was two inches of water in the tent," he told AAP. "There was an electrical smell, and we all sat there nervously as the water rose around us." Festival organisers notified attendees on Friday night that the "difficult decision" had been made to cancel the event due to the ongoing rain. "This is a deeply regrettable but necessary decision," artistic director Jessica Alice said. "Though we had a wonderful but wet first day, now the safety of our community is our highest priority." Ms Brucesmith was disappointed the festival had been cancelled but believed it was the right call due to the conditions. She plans to stay in Bangalow for the rest of the weekend despite the cancellation. The Bureau of Meteorology had warned there would be rain throughout Saturday from NSW's Wollongong north to Coolangatta in Queensland. "Modest rainfall totals between five and 20mm but that annoying pattern of weather where it might rain for 15 or 30 minutes, dry up for an hour, then that rain comes through again," meteorologist Angus Hines said. There had been about 40mm of rain in 24 hours around the Byron Bay area, the bureau said. The Hervey Bay Whale Festival in southern Queensland was also cancelled this weekend due to the forecast wet weather. More than 90,000 people might need to wear rain jackets and prepare for soaked feet as they run the 14km from the city's CBD to Bondi.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Byron writers festival cancelled and warnings for Sydney's City2Surf due to east coast rain dump
Heavy rainfall across Australia's eastern states has prompted the cancellation of the Byron writers festival and a warning for participants in Sunday's City2Surfrace in Sydney to take care, after parts of the east coast received nearly double the typical August monthly rainfall in eight days. Festival organisers said they were 'devastated' to announce the cancellation of the annual event due to the condition of the festival site and ongoing rain, and that it was a 'deeply regrettable but necessary decision'. 'The forecast conditions make it impossible to continue the event safely,' the festival's artistic director, Jessica Alice, said in a statement following the festival's first day. This is not the first year the writers festival, of which Guardian Australia is a partner, has been affected by rain. In 2019, one day of the festival was cancelled due to extreme weather and in 2022, as the northern rivers region experienced devastating flooding, the festival changed its venue. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Alice said her team did a lot of site work to mitigate the effects of weather: ensuring there was adequate drainage, creating pathways for people to move safely around and investing in sturdy marquees. But she said extreme weather was now something event organisers need to be plan for. 'It's absolutely something we now need to discuss more urgently,' Alice said. 'This weather that we've had – we're used to rain in the northern rivers … but it's very unusual for it to be this wet at this time of year. 'We're feeling these effects in a different way.' A surface trough sitting off the coast of Queensland and pushing moisture down the east coast led to an extensive area of cloud stretching from central eastern Queensland through the New South Wales coast, and rainy conditions for much of the east coast, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. There were heavy rainfall totals along the eastern seaboard after Friday night, with 75mm to the north of Rockhampton, more than 50mm along the coast from Yamba towards Lismore, and up to 50mm in Sydney's east. Some parts of the NSW coast have already seen their average monthly rainfall dramatically exceeded in the first eight days of August, including Sydney, where average August rainfall has been about 80mm – and which, as of 9am on Saturday, has already received 140mm of rain. Rainfall in Newcastle has reached 147mm. 'In the seven days to 9am this morning, the highest rainfall for NSW is 255mm at Careys Creek [in the Hunter region],' senior BoM meteorologist Jonathan How said. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion There were hazardous surf warnings in place for the K'gari coast and Sunshine Coast Waters in Queensland, said How, and a major flood warning remained in place for the Namoi River at Wee Waa, Bugilbone and Goangra, though How said the rainfall and flooding were subsiding. 'Narrabri's levels are subsiding, but our message is that the rivers still [have] a lot of water flowing through them, so reminding people to take care,' he said. How also flagged conditions for the annual City2Surf race in Sydney. 'It's looking to be quite a showery sort of morning for participants and quite chilly with that southerly wind coming through as well,' he said. 'So, not the best conditions for running.'
West Australian
4 days ago
- Climate
- West Australian
It's a washout: heavy rain ends beloved Byron festival
A beloved writers' festival has been cancelled, with hundreds who travelled from interstate for the event left hanging as torrential rain buckets the east coast. Wet weather left thick mud and rivulets of water running through the parklands, leading to the cancellation of the Byron Writers Festival. Linda Brucesmith travelled from Brisbane to Bangalow for the festival and said torrential rain on Friday drowned out some of the speakers. The Bureau of Meteorology had warned there would be rain throughout Saturday from NSW's Wollongong north to Coolangatta in Queensland. "Modest rainfall totals between five and 20mm but that annoying pattern of weather where it might rain for 15 or 30 minutes, dry up for an hour, then that rain comes through again," meteorologist Angus Hines said. There had been about 40mm of rain in 24 hours around the Byron Bay area, the bureau said. The Hervey Bay Whale Festival in southern Queensland was also cancelled this weekend due to the forecast wet weather. The conditions are expected to continue along the NSW coast, with Sydney forecast to receive 15mm of rain on Sunday, ensuring a soggy run for City to Surf participants. More than 90,000 people might need to wear rain jackets and prepare for soaked feet as they run the 14km from the city's CBD to Bondi.
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Climate
- Perth Now
It's a washout: heavy rain ends beloved Byron festival
A beloved writers' festival has been cancelled, with hundreds who travelled from interstate for the event left hanging as torrential rain buckets the east coast. Wet weather left thick mud and rivulets of water running through the parklands, leading to the cancellation of the Byron Writers Festival. Linda Brucesmith travelled from Brisbane to Bangalow for the festival and said torrential rain on Friday drowned out some of the speakers. The Bureau of Meteorology had warned there would be rain throughout Saturday from NSW's Wollongong north to Coolangatta in Queensland. "Modest rainfall totals between five and 20mm but that annoying pattern of weather where it might rain for 15 or 30 minutes, dry up for an hour, then that rain comes through again," meteorologist Angus Hines said. There had been about 40mm of rain in 24 hours around the Byron Bay area, the bureau said. The Hervey Bay Whale Festival in southern Queensland was also cancelled this weekend due to the forecast wet weather. The conditions are expected to continue along the NSW coast, with Sydney forecast to receive 15mm of rain on Sunday, ensuring a soggy run for City to Surf participants. More than 90,000 people might need to wear rain jackets and prepare for soaked feet as they run the 14km from the city's CBD to Bondi.
