11 hours ago
Rain in north set to clear as cool weather continues across Queensland
The Bureau of Meteorology says unseasonal rainfall in Far North Queensland is set to ease as temperatures in the south remain below average.
Burketown in the Gulf of Carpentaria received about 60 millimetres of rain amid widespread falls in the north and up to 30mm fell on parts of the Atherton Tablelands on Monday night.
BOM spokesperson Daniel Hayes said a trough brought about 10mm of rain to coastal areas between Townsville and Mackay on Tuesday.
"Generally speaking we've probably seen the heaviest of the rain out of this cloudband and series of troughs," he said.
"The amounts that we've seen, while they're relatively high for this time of the year, are nothing particularly unusual for the area in general.
"Handy rainfall, but probably not all that welcome in those areas where the [sugar] crush has started."
The sugar cane harvest is underway in the north but the wet weather has brought activity to a halt for some in the Ingham area.
Canegrower Matt Pappin said the rain was welcome at his property.
"Being a farmer, you don't want too much, you just want the right amount," he said.
"So … an inch of rain – 25mm or something like that – won't go astray," he said.
Mr Pappin planned to irrigate at his property but that was no longer necessary.
"This moisture now will give it a boost," he said.
"It will draw some water up the stem and it will go into, maybe, a growth mode again."
But Mr Pappin said for other growers the rain was inconvenient, especially after a very wet start to the year.
"I know blokes in other parts of the district that are just getting onto their paddocks and discing them for the first time because it is wet," he said.
Mr Hayes said the BOM expected temperatures throughout the state to remain a little below average.
Temperatures in the mid to low 20s are expected in Brisbane over the next seven days.
Mr Hayes said temperatures increased slightly due to cloud cover but as that cleared cooler air would be pushed up into southern and central parts of the state by systems moving through the southern part of the country.
"We'll see a return to fairly widespread frosty conditions across the southern and even into central inland parts of the state through Wednesday, Thursday, Friday morning," he said.
