The weather and its effects…

Warwick Hughes has a link to satellite imagery capturing the path of the intense rainstorms that swept eastern Australia between over January 2011. From another era before the ABC here are a series of isobaric weather charts from the Sydney Morning Herald and the accompanying headlines over a similar timeframe in February 1928. 

We look to the past to get insights into the future.

 Weather chart from the Sydney Morning Herald 14/2/1928

The Headlines 15/2/1928

CYCLONE. AT TWEED HEADS. Buildings Wrecked. AMAZING STRENGTH OF WIND. BRISBANE, Tuesday. 

BIG RAINFALLS. CENTRAL QUEENSLAND BENEFITS. BRISBANE, Tuesday.

Weather chart The Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 15 February 1928, page 20

The Headlines 16/2/1928

ANXIETY IN GRAFTON. RIVER RISES RAPIDLY. GRAFTON, Wednesday.

THE CYCLONE. IN THE NORTH. Rivers in Flood. STREETS 8FT UNDER WATER.

BELLINGER RIVER. FLOODS AND LANDSLIPS. BELLINGEN, Wednesday.

Weather chart The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 16 February 1928, page 16

Headlines 17/2/1928

FLOODS IN NORTH AND SOUTH. Riverina Inundated. RAILWAY TRAFFIC SUSPENDED. Town of Ganmain Flooded.

SWEPT UNDER BRIDGE.

BRIDGE COLLAPSES UNDER TRAIN. TRAFFIC SUSPENDED.

POSITION AT JUNEE
PHENOMENAL RAIN. NARRANDERA, Thursday.

WATER OVER BANKS. POSITION AT MACLEAN. MACLEAN. Thursday.

CLARENCE SUBSIDES. GRAFTON, Thursday.

BELLINGER RIVER. URUNGA, Thursday.

MAN'S BODY FOUND. MACLEAN. Thursday.

Weather chart The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 17 February 1928, page 15

Headlines 18/2/1928

JUNEE FLOODED. A NIGHT OF PERIL. THRILLING RESCUES. JUNEE, Friday.

FLOODS IN THE SOUTH AND NORTH. Great Tracts Inundated. EXTENSIVE RAILWAY WASHAWAYS. LINE 4ft UNDER WATER. Position Still Grave in Clarence Basin.

RICHMOND RIVER FLOODED. CASINO, Friday.

MANY RESCUES. COOLAMON DISTRICT. COOLAMON, Friday.

ONE HUGE LAKE. BREADALBANE PLAINS. GOULBURN, Friday.

MANY WASHAWAYS. COMMISSIONERS' REPORT.

FLOODED AREAS IN THE SOUTH.

TRAIN SERVICES. TENTATIVE ARRANGEMENTS.

ON THE CLARENCE. ANXIETY STILL FELT. GRAFTON, Friday.

DAMAGE AT DORRIGO. DORRIGO, Friday.

RAIN LIKELY. IN FLOOD AREAS.

CAR WASHED AWAY. MITTAGONG, Friday.

RESIDENTS HOMELESS. SEVERE QUEENSLAND FLOODS. BRISBANE, Friday.

Weather chart The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 18 February 1928, page 22

Headlines Monday 20/2/1928

FLOODS AND STORMS Over Great Areas. PARTS OF RAILWAY SWEPT AWAY. ADDITIONAL FATALITIES. Trains Trapped Between Washaways. PERIL STILL IN NORTH AND SOUTH.

DESTRUCTION AT CROOKWELL. CROOKWELL, Saturday.

MURRAY VALLEY. DANGER EXTENDING. RAILWAYS BLOCKED. ALBURY, Sunday.

TOWNSHIP OF ORANGE SUFFERS FROM THE HEAVY RAINS.

TORRENTIAL RAINS CAUSE SERIOUS FLOODING IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

FLOOD DAMAGE WAS NARROWLY AVERTED IN THE HAWKESBURY RIVER AREA.

SUGARLOAF DAM BURSTS.

BROKEN HILL. WASHAWAYS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. BROKEN HILL, Saturday.

IN QUEENSLAND. WIDESPREAD RAINS. BRISBANE, Sunday.

RICHMOND RIVER IN FLOOD. KYOGLE IN DANGER. KYOGLE, Saturday.

SCENE OF DESOLATION. HOUSES FLOODED. ARMIDALE, Sunday.

MACINTYRE FLOODED. GOONDIWINDI, Saturday.

MACLEAY RIVER. NORTH COAST ROAD. FLOODED BELOW KEMPSEY. KEMPSEY, Saturday.

VICTORIA. Rivers Still Rising. MELBOURNE, Sunday.

EXPRESS CHEERED. ARRIVAL AT MELBOURNE. MELBOURNE, Sunday.

DAMAGE AT EUGOWRA. SHOPS UNDER WATER. EUGOWRA, Sunday.

TORRENTS OF RAIN. GRAFTON'S PLIGHT. GRAFTON, Sunday.

WEATHER FORECAST. No Relief Promised.

TRAINS DELAYED. Sydney-Melbourne Line. MANY LANDSLIDES. REPAIR GANGS AT WORK.

ORANGE FLOODED. DAMAGE TO SHOPS. ORANGE, Sunday.

CLOUDBURST. Man Drowned at Lithgow. FLOOD WATER DISAPPEARS DOWN COLLIERY. LITHGOW, Sunday.

ROADS IMPASSABLE. GLEN INNES DISTRICT. GLEN INNES, Saturday.

MYSTERY OF THE WEATHER.

MAIL STEAMERS DELAYED.

BELLINGER RIVER. BAR NOT NAVIGABLE. URUNGA, Saturday.

STATION HAND DROWNED IN FORBES DISTRICT. FORBES, Saturday.

FLOODS IN THE WEST. THE BOGAN AND MACQUARIE. WARREN, Saturday.

Weather chart The Sydney Morning Herald Monday 20 February 1928, page 13

Headlines 21/2/1928

DEVASTATION BY FLOODS. Northern Towns Under Water, PERIL FROM THE CLARENCE. ABATEMENT IN THE SOUTH. SETTLERS' TERRIFYING EXPERIENCES.

BRIDGE WRECKED. DESTRUCTION AT URALLA. URALLA, Monday.

LOWER CLARENCE. HOUSES INUNDATED. HEAVIER FLOODS INEVITABLE. MACLEAN, Monday.

BRIGHTER OUTLOOK. On the Clarence. RIVERS AND CREEKS FALL. GRAFTON, Monday.

DESTRUCTION WROUGHT BY THE FLOOD WATERS IN THE SOUTHERN DISTRICTS.

THE DROWNED.

SCENE OE HAVOC. DEAD SHEEP EVERYWHERE.

MIDNIGHT RESCUES. AT UNGARIE. HOSPITAL PATIENTS AND STAFF. WEST WYALONG, Monday.

MEN DROWNED. DORRIGO, Monday.

FIGHTING THE FLOOD. MURWILLUMBAH DISTRICT. 33 Inches of Rain in Three Weeks. MURWILLUMBAH. Monday.

MURRAY VALLEY. RIVER RISING. ALBURY, Monday.

WASHAWAYS. Damage Near Junee. LINES MOVED 100 YARDS. JUNEE, Monday.

BREAK IN WEATHER. General Improvement. OFFICIAL FORECAST.

NYNGAN'S PLIGHT. FOOD SHORTAGE.

FAMILY RESCUED. GREAT PRIVATIONS. COLLAPSE OF MOTHER. NYNGAN, Monday.

DORRIGO PLATEAU. 19 INCHES OF RAIN IN WEEK. DORRIGO, Monday.

THE WOLLONDILLY. GOULBURN, Monday.

RESULT OF THE FLOOD AT JUNEE.

Weather chart The Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday 21 February 1928, page 15

Headlines 22/1/1928

SERIOUS PLIGHT. Nyngan Endangered. CRISIS EXPECTED TO-DAY. (FROM OUR SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE.) DUB[?]O, Tuesday.

FLOODED AREAS. Signs of Great Havoc. WATER POLICE FOR NYNGAN. (FROM OUR SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE.) ORANGE. Tuesday.

RAILWAY MENACED. BY MIRROOL CREEK. JUNEE, Tuesday.

BELLINGEN RIVER. URUNGA, Tuesday.

LITHGOW MINES. Fear of Flooding. WATER POURING INTO COBAR. LITHGOW, Tuesday.

MACLEAY OVERFLOWS. FARMS FLOODED.

ARDUOUS TRAVEL. GLEN INNES DISTRICT. ROADS SEVERELY DAMAGED. GLEN INNES. Tuesday.

WATER THROUGH WINDOWS. WEST WYALONG, Tuesday.

TOLL OF THE FLOODS. £500,000 Damage at Grafton. TROPICAL DEPRESSION PASSES. other Lithgow Collieries Menaced.

DAMAGE AT GRAFTON. Estimated at £500,000. PRIVATIONS OF SETTLERS. GRAFTON, Tuesday.

THE FLOODS IN THE NORTH COAST DISTRICT.

WEATHER FORECAST. CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT.

QUEENSLAND. CONDITIONS IMPROVED. BRISBANE. Tuesday.

Weather chart The Sydney Morning, Wednesday 22 February 1928, page 20

Headlines 23/2/1928

WASHAWAY BETWEEN JUNEE AND OLD JUNEE.

THE FLOODS AT COOLAMON.

A NEW DANGER. Threatening Nyngan. DRIFT IN THE BOGAN. (FROM OUR SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE.) NYNGAN, Wednesday.

NYNGAN TOWN IN PERIL. Flood in the Bogan. GRAFTON WATER SUPPLY FAILS. FRESH STORM AT JUNEE. Main Southern Line Flooded.

GANMAIN MENACED. Recurrence of Floods. HEAVY RAIN IN RIVERINA. GANMAIN, Wednesday.

IN QUEENSLAND. FLOODED CONDAMINE. FAMILY MAROONED. BRISBANE, Wednesday.

PERILOUS TIMBS AT ULMARRA. DRAMATIC ESCAPES. GRAFTON, Wednesday.

HAVOC AT GRAFTON. Unprecedented Losses. WATER SUPPLY FAILS. GRAFTON, Wednesday.

MURWILLUMBAH. WHEN STREETS WERE FLOODED. WITNESS'S ACCOUNT.

FLOOD RELIEF. GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE.

SOUTHERN LINE. Further Washaways. STORM AT JUNEE.

THE FLOODS IN THE NORTH.

INLAND RIVERS. Subsidence Expected. FINE WEATHER PREDICTED.

COOLAMON FLOODED. COOLAMON, Wednesday.

ANXIETY PAST. ON LOWER CLARENCE. MACLEAN. Wednesday.

DISASTER AVERTED. 17 PEOPLE IN DANGER. BRAVERY OF BOAT'S CREW. GRAFTON, Wednesday.
This is by no means the only event of this nature. Search the archive yourself at http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/home