# We can all go home from work early...because of the weather **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 21, 2015, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-can-all-go-home-from-work-early-because-of-the-weather/718162 "2015-04-21T05:57:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2015, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-can-all-go-home-from-work-early-because-of-the-weather/718162/1 "2015-04-21T05:57:41Z")
There’s a nasty weather system along the east coast of NSW at the moment, generating heavy rain and very strong winds. Sydney has had about 140mm of rain since yesterday. Other areas have had even more. At my brother’s farm north of Sydney they’ve notched up around 375mm, causing considerable flooding. And now an email has come round noting that, at the request of the NSW Premier, our management is allowing us to leave work early because of the severe weather conditions that are disrupting many public transport services across the state. A very unusual occurrence indeed. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-can-all-go-home-from-work-early-because-of-the-weather/718162/2 "2015-04-21T13:25:06Z")
If not drought, flood, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-can-all-go-home-from-work-early-because-of-the-weather/718162/3 "2015-04-22T03:12:09Z")
Early off work eh? Well you know what they say about clouds and silver linings. An amazing weather system. I had the “privilege” of flying into Sydney this morning and yesterday morning. Yesterday morning the wind was 35 - 50 knots, this morning it had eased off to around 40. Surprisingly enough it was quite smooth. A lot of rain and a few thunderstorms about, but very localised. We departed Sydney yesterday to the north for Brisbane and by about 70 NM north of Sydney we were in the clear. Same today heading west to Adelaide. It’s like a 70 NM radius of absolute shit centred on Sydney, with the rest of the country basking in autumnal sunshine. Enough rain to wash houses away: > **[Sydney weather: Three people dead in flash flooding in NSW town of Dungog](https://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/sydney-weather-three-people-dead-in-flash-flooding-in-nsw-town-of-dungog-20150421-1mpq8a.html)** > > Three people have been killed in flash flooding in the Hunter Valley township of Dungog. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-can-all-go-home-from-work-early-because-of-the-weather/718162/4 "2015-04-22T04:17:20Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Early off work eh? Well you know what they say about clouds and silver linings. I had a choir practice after work, so I didn’t leave early. Of course the practice was subsequently cancelled because so few of us turned up. > [@Richard Pearse](#): > > Enough rain to wash houses away: > > [Sydney weather: Three people dead in flash flooding in NSW town of Dungog](http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/sydney-weather-three-people-dead-in-flash-flooding-in-nsw-town-of-dungog-20150421-1mpq8a.html) My brother and sister-in-law had to evacuate from their farm down river from Dungog. They got across the sole access bridge not long before it was swept away by the floodwaters. We had another 25mm of rain this morning in Sydney. That makes around 250mm since Monday. Everything is very, very wet. But in the last half hour there’s been the hint of a break in the cloud. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-can-all-go-home-from-work-early-because-of-the-weather/718162/5 "2015-04-22T04:48:45Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > I had a choir practice after work, so I didn’t leave e. Of course the practice was subsequently cancelled because so few of us turned up.My brother and sister-in-law had to evacuate from their farm down river from Dungog. They got across the sole access bridge not long before it was swept away by the floodwaters. > > We had another 25mm of rain this morning in Sydney. That makes around 250mm since Monday. Everything is very, very wet. But in the last half hour there’s been the hint of a break in the cloud. Holy cow! I have been in flood situations myself. I hope you and your loved ones are doing OK. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-can-all-go-home-from-work-early-because-of-the-weather/718162/6 "2015-04-22T05:01:44Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > I had a choir practice after work, so I didn’t leave early. Of course the practice was subsequently cancelled because so few of us turned up.My brother and sister-in-law had to evacuate from their farm down river from Dungog. They got across the sole access bridge not long before it was swept away by the floodwaters. I suppose it’s not really choir practice if you are by yourself. > [@](#): > > We had another 25mm of rain this morning in Sydney. That makes around 250mm since Monday. Everything is very, very wet. But in the last half hour there’s been the hint of a break in the cloud. It’s weird to see a house do that. I look at my house and I can’t imagine it would be possible for it to just float away. I wonder if the houses that do this are on concrete foundations or if they’re more the Queenslander style standing on stilts. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-can-all-go-home-from-work-early-because-of-the-weather/718162/7 "2015-04-22T05:13:04Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > I wonder if the houses that do this are on concrete foundations or if they’re more the Queenslander style standing on stilts. From what I’ve seen of Dungog and other Hunter towns, they’d be on concrete slabs. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-can-all-go-home-from-work-early-because-of-the-weather/718162/8 "2015-04-22T05:36:31Z")
I went through a major flood about 18 months ago, so sympathies and best wishes. I saw some footage on TV and it looks horrible. We didn’t have the wind to go along with it, though. We are in the mountains (more accurately, at the base of them) and it just rained and rained and rained.