|
 QLD,
NSW: Heavy falls in the west please graziers, renew flooding
The rainband that gave heavy rain to WA and the NT yesterday brought moderate
to heavy falls across much of western and central QLD and western NSW today,
providing excellent follow-up moisture after last week's substantial falls.
Southwest QLD, where some areas had only patchy rain last week,
also benefited.
The chart at right shows that southwest QLD and parts of western NSW received
15 to 30mm in the 24 hours to 9am. Heaviest falls were in the Warrego where
Biddenham recorded 32.2 and Augathella 31.4. Farther west Bedourie registered
29.5 and Adavale 29.0. In NSW, Menindee reported 26.8 and Ivanhoe, Karpa Kora
Station (near Pooncarie) and Kayrunnera Station (near White Cliffs) reported
20.0.
The rain area moved ESE in QLD during the day, giving a broad band of totals
between 25 and 80mm along a line from Boulia to Gladstone and extending south
into the Darling Downs (see map and heavy totals in the Summary for 20
JUN.) The highest 24-hour totals were unusually widely spread: Camoola
Park (Central West) 80.6, Urandangie (Northwest) 72.6, Ballon (Darling Downs)
65.4, Kingaroy (Southeast) 56.4 and Barcaldine (Central West) 56.0. 33.0mm
of Urandangie's total fell in 3 hours to 9 this evening, and the 24-hour total
was the highest for June in the station's 114-year record. Longreach recorded
47.2mm, its heaviest June day total in half a century.
The rain, which has fallen on some of the worst drought-affected regions in
QLD, has given promise of good winter pasture and encouraged cattlemen to hang
onto stock resulting in a drop in sales of up to 30% at some yardings. Renewed
rises occurred in the Bulloo, Paroo and Warrego River systems, with moderate
flooding developing around Quilpie on the Bulloo and Eulo on the Paroo this
evening, and river rises in the Warrego above Charleville.
 WA, NT, QLD: Temperature
extremes across the tropics
A band of exceptionally high minimum temperatures for June stretched along
the northern boundary of the cloudmass crossing tropical Australia. A string
of locations in WA, NT and QLD experienced night-time temperatures in the low
to mid 20s, from 8 to 12C above average. Brunette Downs on the Barkly Tablelands
in NE NT recorded its warmest June minimum in 36 years when the thermometer
dropped only to 24.3C, 2.3 above the previous record and 12.8 above average.
Wave Hill in the Victoria River Downs in NW NT also set a new record high of
22.5 in 29 years of observations.
Farther south under the cloudband, maximum temperatures were below normal,
especially in the southern Kimberley where departures were as high as 8C. | 
