Dancing in the rain: Drought-stricken residents rejoice as heavens open up
Parts of NSW and Queensland have rejoiced as the heavens opened briefly and brought much-needed relief to drought-stricken families doing it tough.
Many took to social media to celebrate, sharing photos and videos of themselves enjoying the downpour with reports of up to 40mm falling in some places.
One woman in Tottenham, Central West of NSW, shared a photo of her daughter Kate suspended in a gleeful jump before splashing into kerbside puddle.
Another mum in Werris Creek, near Tamworth, showed her son Brax playing in the rain and collecting water in buckets.
A woman filmed herself out in the rain while walking through her property, and said it was the most rain she had seen fall in two years.
“O’Connell area got a sprinkle of rain - this is the most rain I have seen in about 2 years. We are blessed to still have some slight greenery,” wrote Jessica Richards on Facebook, alongside a video of her celebrating in horse paddocks.
Pubgoers were filmed dancing in the rain in joyful celebrations Saturday night, one even opting to belly slide across the wet grass while not wearing a shirt.
One lady said there had been 40mm fall in Hillston, in western NSW, and shared a photo of a flooded car park behind her home.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, up to 50mm was expected to be dumped in central parts of the state including Orange, Perisher Valley and Cobar, with slightly less expected for surrounding regions on Sunday.
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Places like Dubbo, Wagga Wagga and Canberra were predicted to have between 15 and 25mm of rain, while areas from Wollongong all the way up the coast to Newcastle were to have between one and 15mm.
Queensland was also blessed with some “liquid gold” as the BoM predicted up to 10mm for Bundaberg, Gladstone and Rockhampton, with Mackay getting about the same.
The Bureau of Meteorology said smoke particles in the Sydney air would be reduced when it mixed with the rain on Sunday.
“During Monday, we're expecting a southerly change to sweep along the coast and those southerly winds should help to clear out the smoke,” BOM meteorologist Katarina Kovacevic said in a statement.
Firefighters were also expecting rain showers through Sunday into Monday to offer reprieve for the 75 bush and grass fires still burning in NSW.
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