Friday, 3 February 2023 - Monthly Climate Summary for Queensland - Product code IDCKGC14R0

Queensland in January 2023: Wet in the north and dry in the south-east; cooler than average days

Rainfall for January was above average across the north, central coast and adjacent interior districts, and from the central west to the south-west of the state. Below average rainfall was reported across the south-east quadrant. Daytime temperatures were cooler than average across most parts of the state, with areas in the Central Highlands and around the Gulf Country in the lowest 10% of historical records since 1910. Night-time temperatures were warmer than average across parts of the tropical north and in the far south-west of the state, but cooler than average for an area around the central coast and the far south-east

Wetter in the north, below average in the south-east

• Area-averaged rainfall for Queensland was 45% above the 1961-1990 average for the state as a whole, the wettest January since 2010.
• Rainfall was average to above average across the north, central coast and adjacent interior parts of the state across to the south-west, but below average across the south-east quadrant.
• Several days of locally heavy rainfall and thunderstorms affected many areas of Queensland, including the Gulf Country, Peninsula, northern interior, and the tropical east coast, with daily rainfall totals generally in the range of 20 to 70 mm and isolated falls of more than 100 mm over the southern Cape York Peninsula, resulted in multiple flood warnings and some sites reporting their highest January daily rainfall on record.
• Severe thunderstorms and locally heavy rainfall resulted in flooding in northern and central Queensland, and some sites had their highest total January rainfall on record and many others had their highest total January rainfall for at least 20 years.
• The wettest day for any location in the state was on the 16th, when 316.6 mm of rainfall was recorded at Proserpine Airport. Although, several other non-Bureau operated rainfall sites reported falls in excess of 320 mm on the 16th and 17th.
• The wettest location for the month was at Mount Jukes which reported a monthly total of 1071.0 mm, resulting in its wettest January since 1991.

Cooler days for most of the state

• The mean maximum temperature for Queensland was 0.38 °C below the 1961-1990 average; the lowest for January since 2010.
• Daytime temperatures were cooler than average across most of the state away from southern districts, with areas across the Central Highlands and parts of the Gulf Country reporting mean maximum temperatures in the lowest 10% of records since 1910.
• Daytime temperatures were below average across large areas of the state for most days during January resulting in some sites having their lowest January mean daily maximum temperature on record.
• There were particularly cold days for large parts of the state between the 12th and 15th of the month that resulted in several locations reporting their coldest January day on record.
• The mean minimum temperature for Queensland was 0.77 °C above average; the lowest for January since 2012.
• Night-time temperatures were warmer than average across parts of Cape York Peninsula and in the far south-west of the state, while areas around the central coast and the south-east were cooler than average.
• Several coastal locations had their lowest January mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years.
• With the cooler days and nights across parts of the state, several locations reported either their lowest January mean temperature on record or their lowest January mean temperature for at least 20 years.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Maps
	Observed	Anomaly	Decile rank
Total rainfall
Mean daily maximum temperatures
Mean daily minimum temperatures

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* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top