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 QLD:
Wet spell ends as state turns hot and cold
Rain from the northwest cloudband sweeping across central QLD continued in
central and eastern areas throughout the day, following on from heavy falls
yesterday and overnight (see DWS for 19
JUN). Longreach, which set a new June rainfall record with 47.2mm to 9am,
followed it up with a further 20mm 9am to 3pm. Barcaldine recorded 29mm and
Dalby 22mm
9am to 3pm while Emerald recorded 30mm 9am to 6pm. On the Curtis Coast, Town
of 1770 registered 26mm in 3 hours to 9pm. The heaviest 24-hour totals to 9am
Tuesday were Clermont PO 38.4, Jambin 38.2, Sandy Cape 36.4, Town of 1770 34.8
and Alpha 34.6, most of which fell today.
Heavy rain over the past week or more has caused heavy damage to infrastructure
in SW QLD and marooned at least 14 people. Disaster relief arrangements have
been activated to allow local councils to recoup an estimated $3.5m expenditure
mostly for road washaways in the Barcoo, Diamantina and
Bulloo local government areas. Fourteen people have been stranded for a week
in the South West, 6 in campervans in the Diamantina Lakes National Park and
8 on a cattle station at Ethabuka, 150km north-west of Bedourie. Food drops
were being arranged. The timing of the rain has proved a mixed blessing for
canegrowers, with the Bundaberg crushing delayed but benefits to some stressed
crops, particularly in the Isis district.
The temperature anomaly maps at right show an unusual situation for much of
QLD with an exceptionally warm night followed by an unusually cold day in large
parts of the state. The Central Highlands and Central Coast had overnight minima
8 to 10 above average as cloud moved in yesterday trapping the residual heat
of a warm day. Maxima in the western areas that received heavy rain yesterday,
on the other hand, were 6 to 9 below normal, barely making the mid-teens. The
northern tropical coast basked in winter warmth, the top temperature of 29.5
at Innisfail being the town's warmest June day in 48 years.
SA: Heavy coastal
rain concentrates around Adelaide
A deep low pressure system that was SW of Port Lincoln yesterday morning deepened
to around 985hPa just off the coast near Mt Gambier late this morning, throwing
strong westerly winds and heavy showers at the entire SA coast. Top totals
to 9am were Parawa (Sharon) 50.0 and Parawa (Second Valley Forest) 45.8 in
the
Mt
Lofty
Ranges NW of Victor Harbor, while Nundroo, 150km W of Ceduna, scored 39.0.
While no damaging wind gusts were recorded, SA coastal wind runs for the 24
hours to 9am were the highest in the nation and included average speeds of
50.3km/h at Neptune Island, 45.0 at Minlaton Airport, and 36.1 at Adelaide
Airport.
During the day rain concentrated in the Adelaide Hills. High rainfall totals
from flood gauges for the 6 hours 9am to 3pm included Mt Torrens
53mm, Montacute and Maidment Road 51, Sutton Creek 50, and Nitschke Hill 48.
An area of particularly heavy showers moved across the metro
area early
evening giving Edinburgh RAAF 27.0mm and Roseworthy
20mm between 6 and 9pm. The SES had responded to about 28 callouts for minor
flooding, fallen trees and blocked gutters and drains by about 6pm. (See also
report for 21 JUN) |
