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ABC News
3 hours ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Heavy rain set to continue in August, in extension of July's wet weather
Parts of southern Australia have recorded their wettest July in decades following a trio of low-pressure systems during the past week. And as the calendar flips to August, the rain events are forecast to continue. The month will open with yet another low forming, this time off the NSW coast, a system that has the potential to bring heavy rain this weekend. In the meantime, a rainband will also soak WA, kicking off what is likely to become another productive month of wet weather across the country. The recent low-pressure systems have interrupted the monotonous pattern of high-pressure that dominated southern states earlier in 2025. Rain near the third low in the series mostly shifted into NSW later on Tuesday — however light showers under a polar air mass will still impact parts of SA and Victoria during the coming days. For NSW though, it's the beginning of another prolonged wet spell as onshore winds off the Tasman Sea feed moisture into the slow-moving inland mass of cold air. Falls will be heaviest near the coast during the coming days, although moderate falls are also possible over the state's northern inland. The polar air will eventually move east and lead to the formation of a new surface low off the NSW north coast. This next low-pressure system should initially form on Friday, before deepening into the weekend and causing rain to increase along the central and northern coastline. The low won't reach East Coast Low status due to its mobility and only moderate strength, however the system could bring more than 100 millimetres (more than a month's worth of rain) from Friday to Sunday from the Mid North Coast, though the Hunter to eastern Sydney and the Illawarra. While major flooding is unlikely, catchments are still relatively wet after recent rain, and rapid river rises with localised flooding can't be ruled out. As NSW faces a weekend washout, a powerful cold front from the Southern Ocean will spread another burst of strong winds and rain through WA. The front will make landfall on Saturday on the west coast, bringing around 20mm from Lancelin to Albany, then spread lighter rain to central and eastern WA on Sunday. Winds will strengthen near the front, possibly triggering a warning for damaging gusts, an outcome that will become more likely if a few wintry thunderstorms develop. While Perth's heaviest rain is likely on Saturday, post-frontal onshore winds will deliver further showers on Sunday, lifting the city's weekend total to between 20 and 50mm. The BOM's medium range outlooks that cover the weeks ahead are now firmly favouring a wetter-than-normal August. According to the latest BOM modelling for the fortnight from August 9 to 22, there's about a 60 to 70 per cent chance central and eastern Australia will see above-normal rain — increasing to about 80 per cent in southern Queensland and northern NSW. Other global models concur with this scenario. The well-regarded ECMWF model from Europe is also suggesting this month is likely to be wetter than normal. The switch from high to low pressure has delivered rain across more than two-thirds of Australia since early last week, boosting monthly rain totals to the highest in years for many locations. Rain across WA has been particularly heavy — Busselton has received 286mm this July, more than double the average and the town's wettest month in 30 years. Further north, Badgingarra has also recorded its wettest month in 30 years with 196mm, while Perth is having its wettest calendar month since June 2023. For SA, Adelaide's 111mm is the city's wettest July in at least nine years, while Kimba's 111mm is nearly triple the monthly average, and the highest in July since 1956. For Victoria, Charlton is a stand-out — 64mm is enough for its wettest July since 1996.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Sunny weather returns to most of Queensland, but cool conditions to come
Queenslanders will enjoy a brief reprieve from rainy conditions before a cloud band moves in mid-week and brings wintry weather to most of the state. Senior meteorologist Shane Kennedy said cooler, clear conditions were expected from Monday, but would not last. A trough in the south-west corner of the state is forecast to reach the coast by Wednesday, bringing widespread cloud cover. "A couple of frosty mornings, then we will get a bit of a break on Wednesday and Thursday as the cloud comes over, then back to even cooler conditions later in the week behind that trough," Mr Kennedy said. Widespread rainfall between 10 and 30 millimetres was recorded between Emerald and the south-east corner over the weekend. Mr Kennedy said south-east Queensland residents could expect clearer, cooler days at the beginning of the week, with isolated minor river flooding around Warwick and Amberley expected to clear. "It will drop back down to average, or slightly below, over the next couple of mornings, as far north as Hughenden," he said. Temperatures in western Queensland would return to average, he said, following the cold snap over the weekend that saw temperatures plummet. Julia Creek and Richmond in western Queensland recorded their coldest July days in two years, reaching just 16 degrees Celsius on Saturday afternoon. "It was a strong enough system that it had that impact," Mr Kennedy said. Mr Kennedy said the next cold snap would arrive later this week, off the back of another cloud band originating in the south-west. "The next cooler snap should push a fair way into northern Queensland, at least to the base of the Cape York Peninsula on Friday and Saturday," he said. This would help to bring temperatures down to average in the state's north. "The next cold snap after that next trough should be more substantial," he said. "It potentially might make it up to Georgetown, and it may even help to drop temperatures around Cairns on Friday and Saturday."
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Climate
- Sky News AU
Wet start to weekend for nearly all capitals expected as rainband sweeps country and delivers showers to millions of Australians
A wet start to the weekend has been forecast for millions of Australians, with almost all capital cities likely to experience at least showers and a high chance of downpours being forecast for some. Only Perth is expected to steer clear of potentially wet conditions on Saturday as a rainband crosses the east of the country bringing showers and cold weather from Queensland to Tasmania. Sky News Meteorologist Rob Sharpe outlined the rainy outlook for states set to be affected, including Queensland, where the rainband 'looks significant' in the Saturday forecast. 'Particularly from the northwest all the way to the southern inland. And then, around sunset, it will be reaching the coastline and could head all the way up to Rockhampton and Gladstone as well by the nighttime,' Sharpe said. 'It will clear out pretty quickly for the southwest. Once the rain stops, the sun will quickly come out and it will be cooler than usual for most areas.' The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecast says there is very high chance of rain for Brisbane on Saturday, most likely in the afternoon and evening, with between 8 to 20 mm of rain expected. Rain is also set to run across New South Wales throughout the day, and Sharpe said central coastal areas could expect to see patchy wet weather that could clear out 'quite quickly'. 'So, by lunchtime, it will be done, even up towards Newcastle. But for the areas on and west of the ranges, they'll be still some showers coming and going through the day and down close to the Vic border they'll be rain,' he said. A partly cloudy day with a very high chance of showers, most likely in the morning, is expected for Sydney on Saturday, according to the BOM. In Victoria, Sharpe said central and northeastern areas were likely to see the bulk of the state's wet weather throughout the day, and the BOM has forecast between 1 to 15 mm of possible rain for Melbourne. Periods of rain are also expected for Tasmania, particularly in the morning, Sharpe said. 'But for South Australia, it's cold, it's showery, and that wet weather will target the southern agricultural with isolated showers to the northern agricultural, and even some of the southern pastorals as well,' he said.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Perth wakes up to coldest morning in 15 years as temperature dips to 0.3C
Perth has experienced its coldest morning in 15 years as temperatures plummeted to sub-zero figures in some suburbs. The Perth metro station, based in Mt Lawley, recorded 0.3 degrees Celsius at 6.55am — the lowest minimum since July 2010. The coldest July morning in the Perth metro was on the 3rd of the month in 2010, when it dropped to 0C, while the lowest temperature overall was -0.7C on June 17, 2006. It dipped to freezing temperatures around the city with Jandakot recording -1.3C, Perth airport and Swan Valley -0.8C and Pearce -0.3C Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) senior meteorologist Jessica Lingard told ABC Radio Perth the chill was caused by a pool of cold air in the wake of a storm system which produced rainfall and a tornado on Wednesday night. "We've had a bit of cloud cover with that cold front coming through, we had all that cold air that we experienced yesterday, and overnight the clouds have cleared away," she said. "So it is all the recipe ingredients that we need for a nice chilly morning and a bit of fog as well." Ms Lingard said the coldest spot in the state was Gingin with -2.1C. "And we also set a new record this morning in Mandurah with 3.9 degrees the minimum temperature, the old record was 4.4 from July 2015," she said. Perth shivered through a maximum of 14C on Thursday, its coldest day since August 2022. Ms Lingard said Garden Island managed to reach just 13.3C, a new record for July, while Bunbury also experienced its coldest July day with a top of 12.6C.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Channel Country braces for 90kph winds, rain forecast for Queensland's south-east
A cold front will sweep east across Queensland this weekend, bringing showers and isolated thunderstorms to southern and central parts of the state. The unseasonal winter rain is expected to bring falls of 10 to 30 millimetres to the Gold and Sunshine coasts. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has predicted rain will reach the south-east by Saturday afternoon and clear by Sunday morning. Senior meteorologist Jonathan How said the fast-moving front would bring some showers to central Queensland from north of the Sunshine Coast up to Moranbah. "We are expecting anywhere from 5 to 15mm there, but we could see some higher isolated falls with thunderstorms," he said. Mr How said the cloudband would move offshore by Sunday, when dry conditions would return to southern and central Queensland. "It's not going to be too cold — temperatures will remain between the high teens and early 20s on Sunday," he said. Mr How said temperatures further inland would be slightly below average and could dip below 0 degrees Celsius. He said the Darling Downs, Maranoa and Warrego would likely see some frost this morning. Western and north-west Queensland will see unseasonably high temperatures today, with some parts of the outback set to be 10C above the average for this time of year. The BOM has issued a damaging wind warning for the Channel Country, where winds could reach 90 kilometres per hour. The intense conditions have created an elevated fire risk and could also raise dust. North-west Queensland has a high fire danger rating and the Channel Country is at extreme risk of fire. The same cold front impacting the south-east will move across Western Queensland on Saturday morning and provide some relief to the region. "Most of the rain will be south of Mount Isa, likely to the east towards Winton, Longreach and Hughenden," Mr How said. Mr How said it was unusual to see a cold front extend all the way from the state's south-east up to the north-west during winter. "Normally we don't see those cold fronts reach as far as Julia Creek or Richmond at this time of year," he said. The BOM predicted north Queensland would be spared from the cold front, where showers were only expected as far north as Charters Towers. "We're not expecting much rain at all for areas north of Townsville," Mr How said. North and Far North Queensland are expected to enjoy above-average winter temperatures. "Sticking around a maximum of 27C in Townsville and possibly reaching 30C in Cairns," Mr How said.
