Ex TC Olga could be responsible for a major rain event across QLD and NSW in the coming week.
The tropical low is currently skirting the Gulf of Carpentaria coast and is expected to move offshore during today where it will most likely re-intensify into a tropical cyclone. A Cyclone Warning is current for coastal and island communities from Cape Shield to Burketown.
As we head towards the weekend, most models are predicting that Olga will move back over land and head through inland QLD where it will dump a mass of rain over western, northern and central inland. Olga is then expected to move further south bring her rain to southern QLD and the NSW border by Monday. From next week, inland parts of NSW could also benefit from widespread falls after a prolonged hot spell.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Ex cyclones dump heavy rain over QLD's tropics
Neville and Olga may have got cold feet as they skirted the QLD coast, but the ex-tropical cyclones continue to impact the tropics with heavy rain and flash flooding from Cooktown to St Lawrence.
Over the weekend, Olga, then a tropical cyclone, moved rapidly towards the QLD coast and as she approached ex TC Neville she overpowered the system and forced it to move south. This sort of movement is known as “fujiwhara” and describes the orbiting of two low pressure systems around one another when they’re in the same region. Olga didn’t actually cross the QLD coast yesterday as widely reported. Rather, Olga brushed the coast and was downgraded to a tropical low yesterday. Ex TC Olga crossed the coast early this morning and is currently sitting over the Atherton Tablelands. She is expected to move westwards and may re-develop into a tropical cyclone once again if she crosses the warm waters in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Following her stint in the Gulf, Olga is then predicted to return to the inland with major flooding possible for outback QLD. A Cyclone Watch is current for the southern Gulf of Carpentaria coast and islands from Port McArthur to Burketown
Meanwhile, ex TC Neville is lingering around the central coast bringing heavy rain. In just 24 hours, towns inland of Mackay were saturated by up to 200mm and there's more on the way. A severe weather warning for flash flooding has been issued for people in the Herbert and Burdekin and Central Coast districts.
Over the weekend, Olga, then a tropical cyclone, moved rapidly towards the QLD coast and as she approached ex TC Neville she overpowered the system and forced it to move south. This sort of movement is known as “fujiwhara” and describes the orbiting of two low pressure systems around one another when they’re in the same region. Olga didn’t actually cross the QLD coast yesterday as widely reported. Rather, Olga brushed the coast and was downgraded to a tropical low yesterday. Ex TC Olga crossed the coast early this morning and is currently sitting over the Atherton Tablelands. She is expected to move westwards and may re-develop into a tropical cyclone once again if she crosses the warm waters in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Following her stint in the Gulf, Olga is then predicted to return to the inland with major flooding possible for outback QLD. A Cyclone Watch is current for the southern Gulf of Carpentaria coast and islands from Port McArthur to Burketown
Meanwhile, ex TC Neville is lingering around the central coast bringing heavy rain. In just 24 hours, towns inland of Mackay were saturated by up to 200mm and there's more on the way. A severe weather warning for flash flooding has been issued for people in the Herbert and Burdekin and Central Coast districts.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Sydney prepares to swelter in hottest day this summer
Extreme heat is searing through New South Wales in what is day one of a week long heatwave for many regional areas. Bourke and Cobar are among the inland areas that will sweat through 7 days in a row above 40 degrees!
Sydneysiders are getting a taste of this heat today in the western suburbs but tomorrow it will sizzle all the way to the city and coast too. Normally city and coastal areas get away with hot days since the coastal seabreeze prevents the mercury from getting too high. But with no seabreeze tomorrow, the coast and city is forecast to get to 39 degrees, almost as hot as the 43 degree forecast in the western suburbs. If these maximums are reached, it will be the hottest day in the city this summer, a massive 13 degrees above the average for this time of the year. With this sort of extreme heat, the Big Day Out will be a sweat-fest and music lovers are encouraged to stock up on the sunscreen, hats, shades and H20!
Thankfully, a gusty southerly change will cool things down on Saturday with a noticeable temperature drop and possible shower or storm.
But it won’t take long for the mercury to rise again with temperatures escalating into the mid thirties for Sydney’s western suburbs next week- including Australia Day.
Sydneysiders are getting a taste of this heat today in the western suburbs but tomorrow it will sizzle all the way to the city and coast too. Normally city and coastal areas get away with hot days since the coastal seabreeze prevents the mercury from getting too high. But with no seabreeze tomorrow, the coast and city is forecast to get to 39 degrees, almost as hot as the 43 degree forecast in the western suburbs. If these maximums are reached, it will be the hottest day in the city this summer, a massive 13 degrees above the average for this time of the year. With this sort of extreme heat, the Big Day Out will be a sweat-fest and music lovers are encouraged to stock up on the sunscreen, hats, shades and H20!
Thankfully, a gusty southerly change will cool things down on Saturday with a noticeable temperature drop and possible shower or storm.
But it won’t take long for the mercury to rise again with temperatures escalating into the mid thirties for Sydney’s western suburbs next week- including Australia Day.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Scorcher in the southwest, snowing in the southeast!
Today is a day of extreme contrasts between the west and east as Perth experiences another scorcher, while the southeastern ski resorts get a mid-summer dusting of snow! Following its hottest day in 2 years yesterday with 43 degrees, it was de ja vu for Perth today as the city once again sweltered in almost the same temperature. This is all thanks to hot, dry northeasterly winds. Thankfully, it will cool down on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, cold air from the south brought a wintry blast to the southeast. Temperatures in southern NSW and Victoria were as much as 10 degrees below average with snow falling across their alpine areas this morning- very unusual for this time of the year! Falls Creek got down to -2 degrees, making it its coldest January night in 18 years of records at the site.
Meanwhile, cold air from the south brought a wintry blast to the southeast. Temperatures in southern NSW and Victoria were as much as 10 degrees below average with snow falling across their alpine areas this morning- very unusual for this time of the year! Falls Creek got down to -2 degrees, making it its coldest January night in 18 years of records at the site.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Hottest weather since Black Saturday for the southeast
The south- eastern states are suffering through their hottest weather since Black Saturday with catastrophic fire danger across most of South Australia’s south and Victoria’s Wimmera district. Temperatures in South Australia are as much as 17 degrees above average on the coast and Adelaide is sweltering through its 4th day in a row above 40 degrees. Thankfully there is a cool change around the corner but this cool relief generally arrives as a double edged sword. Ahead of the change, the strength of the hot northerly winds are reaching their peak which is what has elevated the fire danger to catastrophic levels. The good news is that as the change comes across temperatures will be as much as 20 degrees cooler between today and tomorrow, and some much needed showers will also wet southern South Australian soils. The change is already generating severe storms across the states west with damaging and flash flooding.
For Victorians, it’s day 4 of the 5- day heatwave across the north today but in the south, temperatures are a massive 19 degrees above average. The cool change will sweep across the state tomorrow reaching Melbourne around midday. This will come as a huge relief for Melburnians considering today’s 43 degree forecast maximum.
The heat is also reaching as far south as Hobart with 36 degrees today- that’s 14 degrees above average.
Total fire bans are in place across the entire states of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
For Victorians, it’s day 4 of the 5- day heatwave across the north today but in the south, temperatures are a massive 19 degrees above average. The cool change will sweep across the state tomorrow reaching Melbourne around midday. This will come as a huge relief for Melburnians considering today’s 43 degree forecast maximum.
The heat is also reaching as far south as Hobart with 36 degrees today- that’s 14 degrees above average.
Total fire bans are in place across the entire states of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
More rain pounds flooded outback QLD
Outback towns in southwest QLD are experiencing major flooding thanks to consistent rain for around 2 weeks. Longreach has seen 215mm since Christmas, while flooded Thargomindah has been swamped by 155mm. And it’s not over yet. Another 50-100mm is possible west of Longreach until Friday. As usual, the big wet has brought mixed blessings to property owners. Some farmers have picked up as much as 2 years supply of water in their dams from the recent rains, while others have lost stock due to the flooding.
The rest of the nation is also experiencing the extremes of summer, but of a different kind. Another dose of severe storms are possible anywhere northeast of a line from Tibooburra in NSW to Canberra in the ACT today. These storms have the potential to cause flash flooding, damaging winds and large hail.
Further south, South Australians are bracing for a heatwave tomorrow that will drive Adelaide’s temperatures as high as 41 degrees by the weekend. The SES has issued an Extreme Heat Watch. Victoria’s heatwave will start a day later on Friday.
In the west, very hot, dry and windy weather has lead to a Catastrophic Fire Danger in the Central Wheat Belt, Great Southern, South Coastal and Southeast Coastal districts. Temperatures across the southern inland will be as much 16 degrees above average today with humidity as low as 5% and winds as strong as 50-60kmh on average ahead of a south- westerly change. A Severe Fire Danger is in place for Perth’s hills.
The rest of the nation is also experiencing the extremes of summer, but of a different kind. Another dose of severe storms are possible anywhere northeast of a line from Tibooburra in NSW to Canberra in the ACT today. These storms have the potential to cause flash flooding, damaging winds and large hail.
Further south, South Australians are bracing for a heatwave tomorrow that will drive Adelaide’s temperatures as high as 41 degrees by the weekend. The SES has issued an Extreme Heat Watch. Victoria’s heatwave will start a day later on Friday.
In the west, very hot, dry and windy weather has lead to a Catastrophic Fire Danger in the Central Wheat Belt, Great Southern, South Coastal and Southeast Coastal districts. Temperatures across the southern inland will be as much 16 degrees above average today with humidity as low as 5% and winds as strong as 50-60kmh on average ahead of a south- westerly change. A Severe Fire Danger is in place for Perth’s hills.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Monsoonal rains and low dump heavy rain over the Top End
The monsoon has kicked in over the tropics and embedded within it is a tropical low southwest of Darwin. It’s expected to develop into our second tropical cyclone of the season and if it does, guess what its name will be? Magda!
In any case, monsoonal showers, storms and rain will continue to deliver massive falls the Top End and Roper- McArthur districts. Over the next 4 days over 200mm is expected which will most likely lead to flooding.
At this stage, the low is predicted to move in a southerly direction to cross the coast near the NT/WA border as a category one tropical cyclone by tomorrow evening. Coastal areas from Kalumburu to Point Stuart and Cape Don to Cape Fourcroy are on Cyclone Watch.
In any case, monsoonal showers, storms and rain will continue to deliver massive falls the Top End and Roper- McArthur districts. Over the next 4 days over 200mm is expected which will most likely lead to flooding.
At this stage, the low is predicted to move in a southerly direction to cross the coast near the NT/WA border as a category one tropical cyclone by tomorrow evening. Coastal areas from Kalumburu to Point Stuart and Cape Don to Cape Fourcroy are on Cyclone Watch.
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