Australian Weather News -- 15 DEC 2001

Australian Weather News

Saturday, 15 DEC 2001

Long cold spell concludes in central southern Australia
Heavy rain in southern NT, central Qld and NE NSW

Daytime temperatures were again well below average over much of SE WA, northern SA and southern NT, with most maxima between 10 and 16 down on the norm. The unusually long spell of cold, cloudy weather has given wide areas of central southern Australia departures from average of this magnitude each day for the past 8 days. The cold spell is the result of a persistent high pressure system south or southwest of WA which pushed a ridge east through the Bight swinging cool southeasterly winds across the region coupled with successive bands of extensive middle level cloud cover moving down from the northwest.

A trough lying from western NT through central Queensland to northeastern NSW moved slowly northeast today bringing widespread moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms. Falls of 50 to 80mm were recorded for the 24 hours to 9am in the northern Alice Springs region of the NT, through central parts of Queensland, and at scattered locations in northern NSW. Details are below. One particularly heavy rain area, apparently not associated with thunderstorms, gave Charleville Airport its December monthly average rainfall in just 1 hour when 56.4mm fell in 60 minutes to 4.30pm.

National weather extremes for today Data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology Last updated at 19:48 EDST on 22/12/01
Quality control note: Data is complete, and has been visually checked by AWN for gross errors. Less obvious errors may remain. See Explanation of Extremes Pages for more information
Records set this day (none known)
Todays highest rainfall totals for the 24 hours to 9am. It includes the top 5 totals received, and/or all reported falls of 50mm or more. 130.0 BLACKBULL SIDING Gulf Country QLD 112.0 DAJARRA HOTEL Northwest QLD 88.0 GEMTREE PARK Alice Springs NT 74.0 TAMBO POST OFFICE Central Highlands QLD 71.2 ARLTUNGA Alice Springs NT *NORTHERN TERRITORY* Roper-McArthur 61.2 GILNOCKIE Alice Springs 88.0 GEMTREE PARK 71.2 ARLTUNGA 59.2 THE GARDEN 57.2 MOUNT DENISON 53.2 WYCLIFFE WELL 51.0 TERRITORY GRAPE FARM *QUEENSLAND* Gulf Country 130.0 BLACKBULL SIDING 70.0 PORMPURAAW TOWNSHIP Central Highlands 74.0 TAMBO POST OFFICE 57.0 DUNEIRA Central West 65.0 LOCHNAGAR 55.2 ARAMAC POST OFFICE 55.0 EASTMERE 52.2 IDALIA NATIONAL PARK 50.2 LISTOWELL DOWNS Northwest 112.0 DAJARRA HOTEL *NEW SOUTH WALES* NW Plains E 50.8 MOREE AERO NW Slopes S 54.6 WOOLBROOK (DANGLEMAH ROAD) N Tablelands E 52.0 TABULAM POST OFFICE	High rainfall for periods of 6 hours or less. *NORTHERN TERRITORY* *Arnhem* NARAWILLI 27.0mm in 3 hr to 02:30 9.0mm/h *Roper-McArthur* CENTRE ISLAND 29.0mm in 3 hr to 20:30 9.7mm/h 27.0mm in 27 min to 21:05 60.0mm/h *Darwin-Daly* DARWIN AIRPORT 27.6mm in 30 min to 00:00 55.2mm/h 27.6mm in 1 hr to 00:30 27.6mm/h 27.6mm in 30 min to 23:30 55.2mm/h 27.6mm in 1 hr to 23:30 27.6mm/h DELAMERE WEAPONS RANGE 20.6mm in 1 hr to 16:30 20.6mm/h 28.0mm in 3 hr to 17:30 9.3mm/h *Barkly* TENNANT CREEK AIRPORT 11.6mm in 14 min to 04:52 49.7mm/h 9.4mm in 10 min to 05:02 56.4mm/h 32.6mm in 1 hr to 05:30 32.6mm/h 33.0mm in 3 hr to 05:30 11.0mm/h *Alice Springs* ARLTUNGA 43.0mm in 6 hr to 02:30 7.2mm/h *QUEENSLAND* *Central West* BLACKALL AIRPORT 12.4mm in 1 hr to 01:00 12.4mm/h 17.4mm in 1 hr to 02:00 17.4mm/h 37.0mm in 3 hr to 03:00 12.3mm/h *Northwest* PHOSPHATE HILL AIRPORT 12.2mm in 1 hr to 05:00 12.2mm/h 20.0mm in 3 hr to 06:00 6.7mm/h CANNINGTON MINE 14.0mm in 1 hr to 22:00 14.0mm/h *Brisbane/SE Coast* GOLD COAST SEAWAY 10.2mm in 1 hr to 20:30 10.2mm/h 13.4mm in 1 hr to 21:00 13.4mm/h 15.0mm in 3 hr to 21:00 5.0mm/h *Maranoa* ROMA AIRPORT 16.0mm in 3 hr to 21:00 5.3mm/h *Warrego* CHARLEVILLE AERO 12.2mm in 21 min to 15:51 34.9mm/h 42.6mm in 34 min to 16:30 75.2mm/h 56.4mm in 1 hr to 16:30 56.4mm/h 67.0mm in 3 hr to 18:00 22.3mm/h 67.0mm in 6 hr to 21:00 11.2mm/h *NEW SOUTH WALES* *Hunter Valley* CESSNOCK AIRPORT AWS 17.0mm in 3 hr to 00:00 5.7mm/h
Todays highest & lowest temperatures
Maximum	Minimum
39.8 NYANG STATION W Gascoyne WA 39.0 MARBLE BAR E Pilbara WA 39.0 CLONCURRY AIRPORT Gulf Country QLD 39.0 CAMOOWEAL TOWNSHIP Northwest QLD 38.5 PANNAWONICA W Pilbara WA	30.4 MORNINGTON ISLAND Gulf Country QLD 28.5 SWEERS ISLAND Gulf Country QLD 28.0 GROOTE EYLANDT AIRPORT AWS Arnhem NT 28.0 PORT KEATS AERO Darwin-Daly NT 28.0 CAPE FOURCROY Islands
6.2 MOUNT WELLINGTON Southeast TAS 10.8 HARTZ MOUNTAIN(KEOGHS PIMPLE) Southeast TAS 11.6 STRATHGORDON VILLAGE W Coast TAS 12.0 MAATSUYKER ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE Southeast TAS 12.0 CRADLE MOUNTAIN AIRSTRIP Central Plateau TAS 12.0 LAKE ST CLAIR NATIONAL PARK Central Plateau TAS 12.0 WARATAH (WILLIAM STREET) W Coast TAS	0.3 MOUNT WELLINGTON Southeast TAS 0.9 LIAWENEE AWS Central Plateau TAS 1.0 CRESSY RESEARCH STATION AWS N Coast TAS 2.7 LAKE LEAKE (ELIZABETH RIVER) E Coast TAS 2.9 CRADLE MOUNTAIN AIRSTRIP Central Plateau TAS
Todays greatest temperature variations from normal
Maximum	Minimum
+5.8 33.8 JURIEN Lower West WA +4.3 29.0 MANJIMUP SW & S Coast WA +4.1 33.6 GERALDTON AIRPORT Central West WA +4.1 32.9 PERTH AIRPORT Lower West WA +4.1 33.8 PEARCE RAAF Lower West WA	+5.5 15.9 LITHGOW (BIRDWOOD ST) C Tablelands S NSW +4.6 13.5 COOMA VISITORS CENTRE Goulburn/Monaro NSW +4.5 22.9 MITCHELL POST OFFICE Maranoa QLD +4.3 19.4 WYALONG POST OFFICE SW Slopes N NSW +4.2 30.4 MORNINGTON ISLAND Gulf Country QLD +4.2 15.4 CANBERRA AIRPORT Goulburn/Monaro NSW
-15.8 22.0 JERVOIS Alice Springs NT -15.0 20.1 KULGERA Alice Springs NT -14.0 21.4 ALICE SPRINGS AIRPORT Alice Springs NT -12.6 22.8 LEONORA Goldfields WA -12.6 25.1 BIRDSVILLE POLICE STATION Channel Country QLD	-8.0 13.1 WILUNA Interior WA -7.3 11.8 CASHMERE DOWNS Goldfields WA -6.9 6.6 ECHUCA AERODROME Lower North VIC -6.7 12.7 ANDAMOOKA NW Pastoral SA -6.7 4.8 NHILL Wimmera N VIC
Highest wind gusts above 89km/h or mean wind above 62km/h (gale force). Wind direction and mean windspeed shown in brackets. CENTRE ISLAND Roper-McArthur NT : 87 (250/ 69 ) at 20:38	Other extremes ..