MEDIA RELEASE - QUEENSLAND REGIONAL OFFICE

2000 a record dry year in south-east Queensland

Despite relieving rains in the south-east at Christmas, Brisbane Airport has recorded half its yearly average rainfall and set a new record low total. The annual recording of 574 millimetres was 2mm less than the previous record in 1957. Several sites in the greater Brisbane area have also broken long-standing low rainfall records, including Amberley, which received only 390mm last year.

The drought has extended west through the Lockyer Valley into the Darling Downs, where Tara (234mm) and Boonah (360mm) reported their driest years on record. Several stations achieved near-record low annual totals.

In contrast, flood rains across the northern half of Queensland have broken high rainfall records for the calendar year, most notably at Cairns (3141mm), Townsville (2416mm) and Winton (1171mm).

Acting Regional Director (Queensland) Geoff Crane said the widespread rain in the north of the state was linked to La Nina, the positive phase of a massive ocean/atmosphere seesaw across the Pacific that has been tipped in Australia's favor since 1998.

Mr Crane said the dry patch over south-east Queensland was caused by high pressure systems tracking further north than usual and by stable southern weather patterns induced by the barrage of tropical cyclones earlier in the year. He said localised dry spells of this kind were not unusual in Queensland, and it was just "rotten luck" that the most populated region in the state had fallen victim on this occasion.

Mr Crane said there was no evidence to suggest that the prolonged dry spell would continue. The odds were slightly in favour of better than normal rainfall for the first few months of 2001, he said. The Bureau of Meteorology's National Climate Centre has predicted a 60-40 chance of above median rainfall over south-east Queensland for the January-March period, and about 50-50 for the remainder of the state.

Ends

Further information:
Livio Regano, tel (07) 3239 8666
Latest Queensland rainfall maps: www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/rainmaps.cgi