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Rainfall for the 24
hours to 9am (above) and for the week to 9am (below). |
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Exceptionally
cold daytime temperatures continue across much of southern NT and
western Qld -- maximum temperature variation from normal is shown
below. |
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Heavy rain died out across southern NT today
after as the cloudmass remnants of TC Rosita weakened and moved away to
the east. Alice Springs Airport recorded a further 48mm to 9am, bringing
its total rainfall for the week to 257mm. This is only 17mm short of the
average annual rainfall for the town, and far exceeds the
previous record rain for the whole month of April of 91.6mm in a record
stretching back to 1940. Jervois,
400km east of Alice Springs, received 87mm for the 24 hours to 9 this morning,
breaking its April daily rainfall record for the second day in a row. The
station has received 137mm in 2 days. Its previous highest monthly
total for April since records began in 1966 is 95.8mm.
Water in flooded rivers in the Centre
began to recede today, but transport dislocation is expected for several
more days on main highways and weeks on back roads. The Todd River in
Alice Springs is expected to be below causeway level tomorrow, allowing
repairs to begin. 17 stranded people were rescued from Hamilton Downs
north of Alice Springs today, but a group of around 200 remain isolated
at Erldunda Roadhouse on the Stuart Highway between the Alice and the
SA border. Low cloud prevented the use of helicopters today, but food
drops to isolated communities west of Alice Springs is due to begin with
clearer weather forecast for tomorrow.
A freak, isolated rainfall event gave Tennant
Creek Airport NT its highest April one-day rainfall on record. 105mm
was recorded in the 24 hours to 9am, 68 falling yesterday between 9pm
and midnight, and a further 32 to 6 this morning. The rainfall record
at the Airport only goes back to 1969, but at the old post office site,
which began recording rain from 1874, the highest one-day total for April
has been 101.6mm. The unusual fall was not associated with the remains
of TC Rosita. It occurred when moist northeasterlies converged into a
trough lying east from a shallow low over the Victoria River District
to western Queensland.
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