NSW/ACT Sat 12:16 EDT: Flood Warning - Castlereagh River   Sat 11:51 EDT: Flood Warning - Warrego River   Sat 11:28 EDT: Flood Warning - Culgoa, Bokhara, Narran   Sat 11:11 EDT: Flood Warning - Barwon-Darling US Bourke   Sat 08:55 EDT: Flood Warning - Gwydir River   Sat 08:38 EDT: Flood Warning - Peel and Namoi Rivers   Sat 08:19 EDT: Flood Warning - Bellinger River   Sat 08:08 EDT: Flood Warning - Manning River   Fri 13:56 EDT: Flood Warning - Paroo River   Fri 08:47 EDT: Flood Warning - MacIntyre River   Northern Territory Sat 16:41 CST: Coastal Wind Warning   Queensland Sat 18:59 EST: Flood Warning - Coastal rivers - Cooktown to Townsville   Sat 18:06 EST: Flood Warning - Condamine-Balonne Rivers   Sat 18:04 EST: Flood Warning - Warrego River   Sat 16:50 EST: Coastal Wind Warning   Sat 16:48 EST: Severe Weather Warning   Sat 16:17 EST: Flood Warning - Burdekin River   Sat 15:06 EST: Coastal Wind Warning   Sat 14:46 EST: Flood Warning - Nebine/Wallam/Mungallala   Sat 12:44 EST: Flood Warning - Thomson/Barcoo/Cooper Ck   Sat 12:03 EST: Flood Warning - Macintyre/Weir   Sat 11:35 EST: Flood Warning - Moonie River   Sat 11:31 EST: Flood Warning - Gulf Rivers   Sat 10:18 EST: Flood Warning - Paroo River   Sat 10:13 EST: Flood Warning - Bulloo River   Sat 09:00 EST: Flood Warning - Fitzroy River   South Australia Sat 19:01 CDT: Severe Weather Warning for SA   Sat 15:56 CDT: Coastal Wind Warning   Sat 15:53 CDT: Total Fire Ban For South Australia   Sat 06:13 CDT: Fire Weather Warning for SA   Tasmania Sat 16:08 EDT: Coastal Wind Warning   Victoria Sat 16:45 EDT: Fire Weather Warning   Sat 16:45 EDT: Fire Ban   Sat 15:59 EDT: Coastal Wind Warning   Sat 15:47 EDT: Local Waters Wind Warning   Sat 15:38 EDT: Severe Weather Warning   Western Australia Sat 15:40 WST: Fire Weather Warning   Sat 15:35 WST: Coastal Wind Warning   Sat 15:33 WST: Coastal Wind Warning  

Breaking Weather News - Windy change to cross SA and VIC

Ben Domensino, 4 February 2012

A gusty change pushing across southern Australia over the next 48 hours will see temperatures plummet in Adelaide and Melbourne as strong winds assaults SA and VIC.

The remnants of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Iggy are continuing to weaken in a trough of low pressure as the system moves into SA from the west. This trough is combining with a strong cold front pushing up from the Southern Ocean, producing a volatile and gusty change.

As the change moves eastwards across southern Australia over the next 24 hours, strengthening northerly are being replaced by a strong and cooler southwesterly flow. Wind speeds are expected to reach gale force along exposed areas of the SA coast.

The change will reach Adelaide tonight, bathing the city in cooler air and making for a gusty start to Sunday. Tomorrow's forecast high of 23 degrees will be around eight degrees cooler than today and four below the monthly average.

As the change then pushes into into Victoria on Sunday, winds will strengthen in Melbourne during the morning before the change arrives in the afternoon. Wind speeds with the change may reach sustained speeds as high as 50km/h in the city.

After climbing into the low thirties tomorrow, cooler winds behind the change will see Melbourne only manage to reach to the mid-20s on Monday.


- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2012


Breaking Weather News - Heavy rain and damaging winds batter northeast QLD

Josh Fisher, 4 February 2012

A tropical low spinning off the northeast coast of Queensland has prompted severe weather warnings as damaging winds and heavy rain batter the tropical coast.

The low is directing the heaviest rain onto the coast between Cairns and Townsville, where widespread total of 50-150mm were gained during the past 24 hours. Townsville was drenched by more than 100mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am today, its heaviest in a year. Nearby, Mingela picked up 164mm, also its heaviest rain in a year.

The tropical low, which was close to 500km off the coast from Cairns as of 9am this morning, is also producing damaging winds along the North Tropical Coast and Tablelands. Willis Island has experienced the highest wind gusts, which whipped to 109km/h.

The low is expected to continue on a east to southeast track, away from the Queensland coast. A severe weather warning remains in place today for the risk of further damaging wind gusts in parts of the North Tropical Coast and Tablelands.

The heaviest area of rain will continue to affect the region between Cairns and Townsville, where an additional 50-100mm is expected today before easing on Sunday.


- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2012


Breaking Weather News - Floods peaking as the rain dries-up

Alex Krisman, 4 February 2012

Flooded rivers are peaking today as the heavy rain finally starts to dry-up.

Heavy rain has lashed New South Wales and Queensland this past week, with over 300mm of rain recorded in parts of both states. The culprit has been a slow-moving low pressure trough and a saturated atmosphere, prime conditions for widespread flooding rain. In particular, the slow-moving nature of the trough ensured that the same regions copped back-to-back drenchings over successive days.

In New South Wales, one of the worst hit locations was Moree. 205mm of rain fell in the town over the past week, with the majority dropping in under 48 hours. It was even heavier in surrounding locations, with weekly totals exceeding 300mm in places. This deluge resulted in major river flooding of the Gwydir and Mehi systems, with the Mehi River dividing the town of Moree as it peaked.

Across the border in Queensland the rain has been at least as heavy. Mitchell, in the Maranoa district, has collected a whopping 295mm or rain over the past 8 days. This 8-day reading smashes the 221mm average summer rainfall for Mitchell, indicating just how anomalous and severe this flooding has been.

The Maranoa River, which runs through Mitchell and Currawong, is peaking today. At Currawong the gauge has reached 10.75 metres, higher than the previous record-holding 1956 floods. Downstream at Mitchell the gauge recorded 9.35 metres this morning, also exceeding 1956 records, and is expected to peak around 10 metres about midday.

Major flood warnings are in force for many other locations including: St George, Dirranbandi and Charleville in the Maranoa; Canobie and Quilpie in the Gulf Country; Tilpa and Louth in the Upper Western; Wee Waa and Pallamallawa in the NSW North West Slopes and Plains.

While flood levels are peaking today there is some solace in the fact that the rain is starting to dry up. Starting in Queensland, heavy rain is tending to scattered showers and thick cloud is breaking up. While it is still raining heavily through parts of northeastern New South Wales today, this should be the last bout of rain with drier conditions prevailing over the weekend.

Residents and travelers are still advised to exercise the utmost of caution as rivers will remain swollen and roads at risk until the inundation of rain has time to clear. Keep up to date with flood warnings and rain forecasts at weatherzone.com.au.


- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2012