Australia: Uluru closed due to record rain and flash flooding

World-renowned Australian national park off limits ‘until further notice’ as a deep low-pressure system moves across Northern Territory
Australian Associated Press The Guardian 26 Dec 16;

Record-breaking rain and flash flooding closed Uluru national park on Monday until further notice, Parks Australia said.

A deep low-pressure system moved slowly south-east across the Northern Territory during the day, carrying locally destructive winds, heavy rain and the risk of flash flooding, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

“Due to an extreme weather event, Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park has been closed until further notice,” Parks Austalia said in a statement. “Our rangers are checking the condition of the roads every hour in a bid to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Almost 100 people were evacuated and many houses damaged in Kintore, a small community about 500km west of Uluru, the ABC reported. On Monday 85 were still sheltering at a local school. All roads were impassable into Kintore from the Northern Territory and access was also difficult from Western Australia, local police said.

The weather bureau listed Yulara, north of the park, as a location that would be affected. Peak wind gusts reached up to 125km/h and the Walungurru district recorded 232mm of rain in 24 hours.

“We’ve only got about 15 years of records at that location, but it’s clearly well above previous totals,” the bureau forecaster Mosese Raico said.

The previous highest monthly total for December for that region was 161mm, recorded in 2003. The highest daily total for any time of the year was 127mm, recorded in March 2006.

Raico said the low was not expected to move into South Australia until Tuesday and heavy rain would persist.