BLANKET CAUSES A PANIC
Misty weather phenomenon in 2008 had many residents fearing a massive fire on the Glitter Strip
IT rolled in silently and unannounced, engulfing Surfers Paradise in a thick white blanket that had locals and visitors spooked.
The great Surfers Paradise Mist of 2008 stunned longtime Gold Coasters and saw some of our most famous towers disappear completely.
This week saw the first thunderstorm of the season, a short and sharp affair which swept through from the south-ewest on Wednesday night, bringing hail and high-winds to much of the Hinterland and city’s north.
It was a minor weather issue compared with the mist, which swept through 10 years ago today.
Fog-like mist is a common phenomenon to see on the ocean but is a rare and virtually unknown sighting on land, especially in the middle of the day in a warm tropical environment such as the Gold Coast
The fire brigade dealt with worried callers convinced a huge fire had broken out on the glitter strip while others just stood and watched as the tops of high-rises disappeared in the haze.
The effect the sea mist had was striking on such a warm day, especially from the Coast’s tallest building.
Monday, September 29 was a warm day but as the mist moved in, the temperature in Surfers Paradise plummeted.
For those on the QDeck observation platform at Q1, just the tips of the Gold Coast’s tallest high rises were visible for the 30 minutes or so the haze lasted.
Victorian visitor Michael Eklund, who was on the QDeck with his family when the mist drifted in, told the Gold Coast Bulletin on the day it was “a spectacular sight”.
“At first we were above the cloud line and all you could see were the tops of some buildings,’’ he said at the time.
AT FIRST WE WERE ABOVE THE CLOUD LINE AND ALL YOU COULD SEE WERE THE TOPS OF SOME BUILDINGS. MICHAEL EKLUND
“Then it started to spread out a bit and everything was white and foggy for a few minutes. It was great because it really gave you a sense of how high up you were.
“It was really thick for probably about half an hour.”
The unusual sight even had QDeck staff clamouring for a better view.
QDeck marketing assistant Stephanie Manning said staff could not recall similar conditions on such a fine day.
“Obviously we see a fair bit when we have storms and things but this is pretty out of the ordinary,’’ she said.
“When it happened, we had some of our people at the QBar ringing up and saying, ‘you should see this’.”
But the big question which struck Gold Coasters was why the mist had hit.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Bryan Rolstone told the Gold Coast Bulletin the haze was a result of a cooler, south-easterly trough in the south meeting warmer winds from the northwest.
“When the south-easterly change came through, there was a change in the weather,’’ he said.
“You’ve got the layer of cool moist air and on top of it there’s an inversion, that’s just the layer of warm air.
“That inversion just concentrates the haze.”
The mist lasted just half an hour but its memory remains strong a decade later.
Gold Coasters at the time thought they would not see something like it again for a lifetime.
But just a year later Surfers Paradise found itself under another cloud – this time one of dust.
Between September 22 and September 24 2009 the Gold Coast was covered in a dark orange cloud of dust which swept in from western Queensland.