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 QLD: Heavy rain and flooding continue
A weak tropical low in the monsoon trough settled into the Gulf of Carpentaria
today, directing cloud and rain into central QLD overnight. A weak trough over
SE QLD also interacted with the moisture, giving some heavy falls. Highest
totals for the 24 hours to 9am were 133.0mm at Wilpeena, 160km W of Rockhampton,
119.2 at Carfax, 210km WNW of Rockhampton, and 112.6 at Double Island Point,
170km N of Brisbane. Bundaberg Airport had 64mm between 6 and 9am. Isolated
thunderstorms and more general areas of rain brought some heavy falls to the
Central Coast late afternoon and evening, with St Lawrence scoring 66.4mm in
two hours to 9pm.
There were widespread minor road closures in NW QLD as flooding continued
in the north-flowing Gregory, Leichhardt and Cloncurry Rivers and the south-flowing
Georgina and Burke. The Flinders and Barkly Highways have been cut in places,
as have main roads around Burketown, Boulia and Winton. The Gregory River
peaked at about 8m this afternoon at Gregory Downs, 230km N of Mt Isa. Another
50 to 70mm of rain in the Cloncurry area has maintained minor flooding in the
Cloncurry River, while the Leichhardt has generally fallen below minor flood
level. The Georgina at Urandangie was still rising this morning, with moderate
flooding expected downstream and in the Burke River over the next few days.
WA: Bushfires cause damage
Two separate fires in the Yanchep National Park, 60km N of Perth, converged
late yesterday afternoon and caused damage overnight. Two houses were burnt
down, power supplies in the area cut and roads blocked, isolating the towns
of Yanchep and Two Rocks. Residents of the town required police escort to
drive out of the area this morning. Over 100 firefighters and 4 water-bombing
helicopters worked through the night to contain the blaze. Fires at Whiteman
Park and Kwinana to Perth's NE and S, have been brought under control.
 AUS:
Continuing cold in the east, hot in SE WA
Cool conditions dominated the east and especially the southeast of the
country again today, with Katherine setting a new January record minimum
low of 19.0. However, a brisk northerly ahead of an advancing low gave
SE WA a hot day, with Esperance recording an unusually torrid 41.9C, 15.7
above normal. |
