Issued 5 April 2004
Further relief in far north Queensland, but deficiencies persist in other parts of eastern Australia
The Bureau of Meteorology announced today that heavy monsoon rain during March, removed or significantly eased, long-term (since mid-2002) rainfall deficiencies along the Queensland coast north of Ingham. Nevertheless, patches of rainfall deficits remain further south along the Queensland coast, through inland eastern Australia, in the southeast of the mainland and in northwest WA.
Rainfall totals of more than 400mm (100% to 300% of average) along the far northeast Queensland coast during March, eased or removed long-term rainfall deficiencies. The region between Ingham and Princess Charlotte Bay has had one to one-and-a-half times the average rainfall so far this northern wet season (since October).
21-month rainfall deficiencies
However, for the 21-month period from July 2002 to March 2004, rainfall deficiencies still persist along parts of the north Queensland coast between Townsville and Rockhampton, and in patches over inland eastern Australia. A larger region persists in the southeast of the mainland and covers Gippsland, central and some of northeast Victoria, together with the southeast quarter of NSW and the ACT. Record low falls for the 21-month July to March period have been registered in a few patches, especially near Bairnsdale in southeast Victoria. These lows falls are notable in that this general region has experienced below normal rainfall for most of the past 8 years.
Because the deficiencies extend over such a long period, they’re likely to take some time to be removed. For example, around Bairnsdale over 400 mm of rain would be required over the next three months just to elevate the rainfall since July 2002 to the tenth percentile (top of decile range 1). Such a total would be near to, or above the record high April to June rainfall for this region!
In WA, long-term rainfall deficiencies are confined to a relatively small patch between Exmouth and Onslow.
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