Thursday 1st September, 2005

MEDIA RELEASE - QUEENSLAND REGIONAL OFFICE

Mild Winter in Queensland with Some Welcome Rainfall

After a very dry start to the year over much of Queensland, winter rainfall brought welcome relief to many parts of the state.

Rainfall totals of two to four times the average were received in the southwest of the state and parts of the Northern tropics. Elsewhere, rainfall was generally close to or above average, although higher totals were recorded on the Gold Coast - largely due to heavy rainfall at the end of June.

A number of winter rainfall records were broken. These include:

• Babinda Post Office with 1072 mm (average 461mm, 94 years of record)
• Paluma with 411.8mm (average 163mm, 35 years of record)
• Strathtay Station in the Upper Carpentaria with 136.8 mm (average 37 mm, 35 years of record)
• Gundoo in the Central Lowlands with 145.8mm (average 34mm, 45 years of record)
• Bladensburg in the Upper Western with 138mm (average 33mm, 77 years of record)
• Elanora with 822.9mm (average 221mm, 46 years of record)

Winter temperatures were above average in most areas. Daytime maxima were typically up to a degree above average, although it was cooler in some parts of the tropics affected by rainfall and cloud cover. Overnight minima were above average throughout the state, reaching 2 to 3 degrees above average in many parts.

While there were a few cold outbreaks during the season, these were much less frequent than normally experienced during winter. Many of the cold frontal systems stayed further south this year, leaving a warmer airmass over Queensland for much of the season.

Despite the overall mild conditions, cloudy conditions which followed a cold outbreak during mid-August produced record low maximum temperatures at a number of locations along the eastern seaboard. Record low maximum temperatures recorded on the 12th August include:

• Monto 9.9C, coldest day in 32 years of record.
• Baralaba 10.8C, coldest day in 36 years of record.
• Gympie 11.8C, coldest day in 40 years of record.
• Rockhampton 12.8C, coldest August day in 67 years of record.
• Nambour 13.9C, coldest August day in 41 years of record.
• Applethorpe 7.0C, coldest August day in 37 years of record.
• Oakey 10.2C, coldest August day in 33 years of record.

For further information, please contact Ann Farrell on (07)32398660.
After-hour enquiries should be directed to the senior forecaster on (07)32398750.

The latest temperature/rainfall maps and seasonal outlooks for Queensland are available at
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/austmaps/
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/

World Wide Web www.bom.gov.au
Weather by Fax 1800 630 100 [Free Call Directory]