February 2012 Monthly Weather Review Queensland February 2012
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Monthly Weather Review Queensland February 2012 Monthly Weather Review Queensland February 2012 The Monthly Weather Review - Queensland is produced twelve times each year by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Queensland Climate Services Centre. It is intended to provide a concise but informative overview of the temperatures, rainfall and significant weather events in Queensland for the month. To keep the Monthly Weather Review as timely as possible, much of the information is based on electronic reports. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of these reports, the results can be considered only preliminary until complete quality control procedures have been carried out. Major discrepancies will be noted in later issues. We are keen to ensure that the Monthly Weather Review is appropriate to the needs of its readers. If you have any comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us: By mail Queensland Climate Services Centre Bureau of Meteorology GPO Box 413 Brisbane QLD 4001 AUSTRALIA By telephone (07) 3239 8700 By email [email protected] You may also wish to visit the Bureau's home page, http://www.bom.gov.au. Units of measurement Except where noted, temperature is given in degrees Celsius (°C), rainfall in millimetres (mm), and wind speed in kilometres per hour (km/h). Observation times and periods Each station in Queensland makes its main observation for the day at 9 am local time. At this time, the precipitation over the past 24 hours is determined, and maximum and minimum thermometers are also read and reset. In this publication, the following conventions are used for assigning dates to the observations made: Maximum temperatures are for the 24 hours from 9 am on the date mentioned. They normally occur in the afternoon of that day. Minimum temperatures are for the 24 hours to 9 am on the date mentioned. They normally occur in the early morning of that day. Mean temperatures are the average of the daily maximum and daily minimum temperatures. Daily rainfall is for the 24 hours to 9 am on the date mentioned. This means a significant fraction of the rain may have occurred on the previous calendar day. Monthly rainfall is for the period from 9 am on the last day of the previous month to 9 am on the last day of this month. Maximum daily wind gusts are in the 24 hours from midnight to midnight. Climatological values The climatological averages shown in the text and tables are generally long-term means based on observations from all available years of record, which vary widely from site to site. They are not shown for sites with less than 10 years of record, as they cannot then be calculated reliably. Climatological extremes are generally taken from available observations from all available years of record. The number of years can vary substantially from site to site. Copyright © Commonwealth of Australia 2012 This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to Commonwealth Copyright Administration, Attorney General’s Department, Robert Garran Offices, National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 or posted at http://www.ag.gov.au/cca. Product code IDCKGC14R1. Prepared on 23 March 2012. ISSN 1836-3075 Cover photograph Morning Glory off Sweers Island on the Gulf of Carpentaria. Photograph by Lyn and Tex Battle. Used with permission. If you have a photo you think would make a good cover for the Monthly Weather Review, please contact us at the address above. Monthly Weather Review Queensland February 2012 Overview • Third coolest state-averaged minimum temperatures • Cooler maximum temperatures across central and southern interior • Above average rainfall across central and southern interior Extremes in February 2012 Hottest day (Highest daily maximum temperature) 45.3 °C at Urandangi on the 5th Warmest days on average (Highest mean daily maximum temperature) 38.1 °C at Camooweal Township Coolest days on average (Lowest mean daily maximum temperature) 25.0 °C at Applethorpe Coldest day (Lowest daily maximum temperature) 20.0 °C at Maleny Tamarind St on the 23rd Coldest night (Lowest daily minimum temperature) 11.7 °C at Stanthorpe Leslie Parade on the 29th Coolest nights on average (Lowest mean daily minimum temperature) 14.9 °C at Applethorpe Warmest nights on average (Highest mean daily minimum temperature) 26.2 °C at Willis Island Warmest night (Highest daily minimum temperature) 31.1 °C at Birdsville Airport on the 20th Warmest on average overall (Highest mean temperature) 30.7 °C at Boulia Airport Coolest on average overall (Lowest mean temperature) 20.0 °C at Applethorpe Wettest overall (Highest total rainfall) 945.6 mm at Cardwell Range Wettest day (Highest daily rainfall) 256.4 mm at Cooroy Composite on the 25th Highest wind gust 117 km/h at Willis Island on the 4th page 1 Monthly Weather Review Queensland February 2012 Significant weather of the Australian area of responsibility for tropical cyclone forecasting on the 6th. Severe thunderstorms 1st: Heavy rainfall was recorded at Oondooroo in the Flooding over the interior of Queensland, afternoon. particularly the south During early February a very significant rainfall event 2nd: Gusty winds damaged trees around Weipa in occurred over inland Queensland and New South the morning. Wales. A relatively stationary trough produced days 11th: Thunderstorm with 100 km/h wind gust of moderate to heavy rainfall over the Central West, recorded west of Toowoomba. Warrego, Maranoa, Central Highlands and Channel Country Regions of Queensland. Daily totals were as 12th: Heavy rainfall was recorded at Mt Tamborine high as 200 mm during the event, with rainfall totals in the afternoon and in Nambour in the evening. for the whole event in excess of 500 mm. Record Flash flooding reported in the Sunshine Coast major flooding was recorded through the Maranoa Hinterland. Damaged trees were reported in Logan and Balonne Rivers, including the towns of Mitchell, Village and power lines were damaged in Roma and St George. The largest flood since the Jimboomba. record flood of 1990 was recorded in the Warrego 13th: 3.5 cm hail reported at Beaudesert. Heavy River at Charleville, with levels reaching very close to rainfall was recorded at Slacks Creek and Mount the newly completed levee. Other towns affected Cotton West in the afternoon. Golf ball sized hail during this period include: Thallon, Flinton, reported at Yangan. Power line and tree damage Nindigully, Surat, Amby, Bollon, Dirranbandi, Hebel, reported in the Redland Bay Area. Flash flooding Augathella, Cunnamulla, Eulo, Hungerford, Quilpie, reported at Marsden. Thargomindah, Blackall, Isisford, Longreach, Windorah, Jericho and Alpha. 16th: Property damage reported at Victoria Point. Waterspout reported on the Pioneer River near the Later in the month moderate to heavy rainfall was Mackay city centre. recorded along the Sunshine Coast and adjacent inland areas. This rainfall produced minor to 19th: Tree damage and heavy rainfall reported at moderate flooding throughout the region, the most Boyland in the afternoon. significant of which was a moderate flood peak along 21st: 101 km/h wind gust recorded at The the Mary River at Gympie. Monument in the afternoon. Flash flooding and heavy rainfall reported at Boreen Point. 85 km/h wind gust recorded at Emerald in the afternoon. Large Hail, strong winds and heavy rainfall reported at Noosa. Property damage reported in Cooroy. 23rd: Heavy rainfall reported at Beckers in the morning. 24th: Heavy rainfall reported at Deverill. Heavy rainfall was recorded at South Yaamba afternoon. Heavy rainfall was recorded at Humeburn in the morning. Widespread heavy rainfall was recorded over the Sunshine Coast in the evening. Tropical Cyclone Jasmine On the last day of January a low formed over western Cape York Peninsula. This low formed within the monsoon trough that lay over far north Queensland. On the 1st February the low moved into the southeast Gulf of Carpentaria. On the 2nd, the low in the Gulf of Carpentaria moved eastwards over Cape York Peninsula and by the 3rd, the developing low was situated 260 km off the Queensland coast from Cairns. On the 4th, the eastward moving low developed into Category 1 Tropical Cyclone Jasmine, which was located over the northwest Coral Sea approximately 420 km east of Cairns. On the 5th Tropical Cyclone Jasmine developed further into a Category 2 cyclone as it continued to move eastwards further away from the Queensland coast. Tropical Cyclone Jasmine moved eastwards outside page 2 Monthly Weather Review Queensland February 2012 Synoptic summary An upper level trough moved over the southeast coast on the 14th bringing isolated showers and The month started with a low pressure system thunderstorms over the southeast and the Wide Bay. situated over the southeast of the Gulf of Carpentaria with the monsoon trough extending From the 15th to the 18th a ridge of high pressure over far north Queensland. A slow moving surface extended along the east coast of Queensland. This trough lay over the Queensland interior. Showers, brought fine weather conditions over most of the rain areas and thunderstorms developed over the state with the exception of scattered showers and northern tropics and throughout the state's interior. isolated thunderstorms on the 16−17th about the Peninsula and the northern tropical coast due to the On the 2nd, the low in the Gulf of Carpentaria moved moist onshore flow. eastwards over Cape York Peninsula. A surface trough extended from the low through the On the 19th, an upper level trough moved over Queensland interior.