Central Australia's Rivers Are Unexpectedly Flowing Due to Weeks of Heavy Rain

Sean Breslin
Published: January 12,2015



 

Something's happening in the middle of Australia that residents aren't used to seeing this time of year.
In the southern portion of Australia's Northern Territory is the Todd River, which doesn't usually flow in the summer months. The continent's hottest months are traditionally from December through February – summertime in the Southern Hemisphere – and the river is usually dry during those months.
But this year, due to days of torrential rainfall, the Todd River is flowing, and so are the other waterways in the Northern Territory, according to the Daily Mail. The wild weather pattern has produced some of the heaviest rainfall in more than a decade, the report added.
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The river hasn't been flowing since April of last year, News AU reported. The unusual sight has led to some Alice Springs residents tubing down the river, which has turned tragic for at least one person.
Authorities say a 24-year-old man went missing after going tubing in the Wigley Waterhole, a popular swimming spot in the river located north of Alice Springs, News AU also reported. Later, the man's body was recovered in an area downstream.
"If you continue to swim in flooded waters there's sadly going to be more drownings, so we need to stop this behaviour," said Floss Roberts, Royal Life Saving NT executive director, in the News AU report.
The prolonged precipitation will also lead to an increase in vegetation in the territory, which has some residents worried about the extra fuel for fire season, according to a separate News AU report.
"I guess now we need to get more cattle on the place to eat the green feed down," said Anita McCarthy, a local resident.
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