|
 QLD: Flooding continues as rain eases
The low that has been moving southward over land on Cape York Peninsula reformed off the coast near Townsville this morning and weakened slightly during the day. It has been keeping forecasters guessing as to its intentions for 6 days, and continued to confound them today as it remained nearly stationery rather than moving down the coast as expected.
General heavy rain from Townsville south to Mackay eased after midnight, but continued to give sporadic heavy falls in the same area today. Hamilton Island, 40km E of Proserpine, had the highest 24 hour fall to 9am with 266.0mm followed by Dalrymple Heights, a notoriously wet location in easterlies at the top of the Pioneer Valley, on 210. Mount Charlton reported 395mm over the 48 hours to 9am. In the flood network, Guthalungra, 45km W of Bowen, completed the 24 hours with 340mm in the gauge. A list of falls over 50mm is here, and short term downpours here.
During today, while rain or showers continued over the area it was not as general or intense as yesterday. There were some heavy falls, however, particularly in an area SE of Townsville. Giru received 161mm between 9am and 6pm, 110 falling in the last 3 hours. Strathbogie, 120km SE of Townsville, recorded 133mm between 3 and 9pm.
Moderate to heavy rains in the Houghton catchment slowed the fall of the river at Giru, where it only dropped below major flood level this evening. Minor flooding in streams between Townsville and Mackay was beginning to ease. Falls of 50 to 100mm in the eastern catchment of the Burdekin River today resulted in it and some of its tributaries below the dam moving above minor flood stage this evening. The runoff from yesterday's heavy rain in the eastern Gulf country has produced minor flooding in the Einasleigh River leading into the Gilbert and the Flinders above Hughenden.
 NSW: Coastal rain as thunderstorms go west
Overnight, an upper high over WA projected a ridge across VIC, putting the NSW Central and North Coasts under a deep and well saturated easterly stream. This extended up to at least 20,000 feet and is somewhat unusual. It gave heavy showers along the Central, Hunter and Mid North Coasts and into the ranges. Upper Darkwood in the Bellinger River Valley notched up 101mm for the 24 hours to 9am. Smoky Cape near Kempsey recorded 78mm between 9am and 3pm and a number of places recorded downpours of 20 to 30mm in a few hours during the day.
During the early afternoon, storms formed along the western side of the Northern Tablelands, but instead of moving E to NE as is usual they were steered westward by the upper easterly winds and intensified for the remainder of the afternoon and early evening. Walgett received 19.4mm from one of them in the hour before 9pm. | 
