Burdekin: Climate and water
- An intense monsoon low in late-January to early February 2019 contributed to above-average annual rainfall.
- The heavy rainfall resulted in very high streamflows over the northern part of the region in February 2019.
- Much drier conditions were experienced across the southern part of the region during the year.
For further information on the region's climate and water conditions during the 2018–19 year scroll down this page or click on the links below:
About the region
- The Burdekin region lies within the dry tropics of northern Australia, which has a distinct and predictable climatic seasonality. As a consequence, flow in the rivers is strongly seasonal.
- Almost all rainfall in the region occurs during the wet season (November–April).
Climate conditions
Rainfall
Figure C1 Annual and monthly rainfall deciles for the Burdekin region during the 2018–19 year
- Total area-averaged rainfall for the year was 741 mm, above the mean value of 641 mm. Rainfall was higher in the northern part of the region compared to the south.
- An intense, slow-moving monsoon low over northern Queensland during late-January to early February 2019 caused very heavy rainfall over northern parts of the Burdekin region. In February, some areas recorded their highest rainfall on record for that month. More detail about this rainfall event in the region is available in the Bureau's Water Focus Report.
- Severe thunderstorms and showers throughout March–April 2019 contributed to above-average rainfall for that 2-month period, particularly across the southern part of the region.
Figure C2 Total monthly rainfall for the Burdekin region during the 2018–19 year compared with the average and percentiles for the region
- Rainfall was well above average during December 2018–March 2019, the typically wetter months of the year.
Actual evapotranspiration
Figure C3 Annual and monthly actual evapotranspiration deciles for the Burdekin region during the 2018–19 year
- Total area-averaged actual evapotranspiration ranged from above average in the northern part of the region to well below average in the south.
- Evapotranspiration was above average in the northern part of the region due to the wet conditions and high water availability in this area, particularly during December 2018–February 2019.
- In contrast, evapotranspiration was below average across the southern part of the region for most of the year, reflecting the drier conditions and lower water availability in this area.
Soil moisture
Figure C4 Annual and monthly soil moisture deciles for the Burdekin region during the 2018–19 year
- Soil moisture in the root zone (0–1m depth) was generally average across most of the region.
- Rainfall and soil moisture are typically closely aligned. For example, above-average soil moisture during December 2018–February 2019 over the northern part of the region is due to the above-average rainfall that occurred over these areas during that 3-month period. At the same time, conditions in the southern part of the region were much drier due to very low rainfall.
- The very poor soil moisture conditions during July–September 2018 can be attributed to the well below-average rainfall that occurred during most of the 2018 dry season.
- More information on soil moisture distribution across the Burdekin region is available in the Australian Landscape Water Balance.
Streamflow responses
Streamflow
Figure C5 Key flow gauging stations along the main rivers within the Burdekin
region
- The Burdekin, Cape and Suttor rivers are three primary rivers that flow into Lake Dalrymple, which supports the region's Burdekin Haughton Water Supply Scheme.
- The Bowen River is downstream of Lake Eungella and provides water for the region's Bowen Broken Water Supply Scheme.
Figure C6 Total monthly flow for key rivers during the 2018–19 year compared with the average and percentiles
- Total annual flow in the Burdekin River at Sellheim (Station 120002C) was 12,573 GL, more than 2.5 times the average annual value of 4,683 GL and the highest since the 2010–11 year.
- 85% of the total annual flow in the Burdekin River occurred during February 2019. The very high streamflows in February were caused by heavy rainfall associated with an intense, slow-moving monsoon low that impacted the upper reaches of the Burdekin River in the north of the region during late-January to early February (for more detail see the Bureau's Water Focus Report).
- Streamflows in the Cape and Bowen rivers were also well above average during February 2019 due to the monsoon low event.
- Streamflow in the Suttor River was below average for most of the year, particularly during the typically wetter months between December–March. This reflects the much drier conditions experienced across the upper reaches of the Suttor River in the south of the region during this period.