Monthly Weather Review Queensland February 2010 Monthly Weather Review Queensland February 2010
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Monthly Weather Review Queensland February 2010 Monthly Weather Review Queensland February 2010 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. 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 9 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 2010 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 IDCKGC24R1. Prepared on 25 March 2010. ISSN 1836-3075 Cover photograph Morning Glory near Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Photograph by Phil Keough, August 2009. 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 2010 Overview • Wetter than average across the southern districts • Cooler than average maximum temperatures in the south west • Slightly cooler than average nights in western districts Extremes in February 2010 Hottest day (Highest daily maximum temperature) 40.2 °C at The Monument Airport on the 9th Warmest days on average (Highest mean daily maximum temperature) 36.4 °C at Urandangi Coolest days on average (Lowest mean daily maximum temperature) 25.4 °C at Applethorpe Coldest day (Lowest daily maximum temperature) 19.9 °C at Applethorpe on the 24th Coldest night (Lowest daily minimum temperature) 12.8 °C at Applethorpe on the 11th Coolest nights on average (Lowest mean daily minimum temperature) 15.9 °C at Applethorpe Warmest nights on average (Highest mean daily minimum temperature) 26.4 °C at Coconut Island Warmest night (Highest daily minimum temperature) 29.3 °C at Sweers Island on the 10th Wettest overall (Highest total rainfall) 995.6 mm at Samuel Hill Aero Wettest day (Highest daily rainfall) 364.4 mm at Mt Tamborine Fern St on the 7th Highest wind gust 102 km/h at Rundle Island on the 1st page 1 Monthly Weather Review Queensland February 2010 Significant weather CENTRAL COAST: SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS: Haughton River: Flooding in the final days of January Overnight on the 6th and into the morning of the 7th in the Haughton River continued to ease. Warnings of February, severe thunderstorms occurred in the which began on the 27th of January were finalised south east coast district. A surface trough remained on the 1st of February. near stationary over the eastern interior as an upper BurdekinRiver: Isolated major flooding on the level low developed over southern Queensland. The Belyando River in the Albro area. combination of the upper level low and the surface feature produced some very high daily rainfall totals Fitzroy River: Rainfall associated with the monsoon to 9 am on the 7th. trough produced moderate flooding in the Connors and Issac Rivers during the final days of January. Heavy rainfall due to severe thunderstorms in the Moderate flood levels continued downstream Ipswich and western suburbs area occurred on the causing only minor flooding in the Tartrus area on evening of the 15th. Again, on the 16th, very heavy the Mackenzie River. Flood levels at Rockhampton rainfall and localised flash flooding occurred in the remained well below the minor flood level. Flood greater Brisbane area as severe thunderstorms warnings which began in January continued through developed over the south east coast. Some parts of February and into March. suburbs including Milton, Auchenflower, East Brisbane and Stones Corner were submerged by the Further rainfall recorded during the rainfall event of afternoon of the 16th. the 16th to the 19th February produced flooding in three of the Fitzroy River tributaries: TORNADOES: CometRiver:Record major flood levels along the On the 16th of February, a tornado was observed CometRiver isolated the township of Rolleston. near Atherton, in the tablelands west of Cairns. Major flood levels at Rolleston were the highest on a On the same day, a funnel cloud was observed near record dating back to 1958. Oakey in the south east. Nogoa River: Minor flood levels at Craigmore FLOODING: produced a peak spill of 1.1 metres at Fairbairn Dam. Rainfall associated with Ex-Tropical Cyclone Olga was Flood levels at Emerald remained well below minor. recorded in a wide area across Queensland during DawsonRiver: Rainfall in the upper Dawson River and the first 10 days of February. Moderate to heavy tributaries produced a major flood at Taroom. rainfall produced fast stream rises over already Rainfall recorded during the 15th produced minor to saturated catchments. Olga crossed the coast north moderate flooding with some isolated major flooding of Cairns initially during the 24th of January and once in the Baralaba area. reformed in the Gulf crossed again around Normanton during the 29th. The system then Baffle Creek: Rainfall associated with the monsoon weakened into a rain depression within hours of trough produced major flooding at Mimdale and cut making landfall and tracked steadily southeast, to be the Essendean Bridge for a number of days. Flood positioned to the northeast of Longreach by 10 am on warnings which began on the 2nd of February the 31st of January. The monsoon trough crossing the continued until the 5th. east coast was consequently dragged southward to SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND: the central coast region producing heavy rainfall and flooding in the Pioneer and Haughton River As Ex-Tropical Cyclone Olga tracked eastward across Catchments. the southern border of the state, widespread It then travelled through the interior of Queensland showers, thunderstorms and heavy rain resulted, and moved into the North East corner of South producing falls in excess of 200 mm throughout the Australia. It then moved along the Queensland-New South East region by 9 am on the 7th of February. South Wales border eventually reaching South East The heaviest rainfalls were recorded at the base of Queensland on the 7th of February. Ex-Tropical Mount Tamborinewith up to 450 mm in 12 hours. Cyclone Olga then moved westward until finally Major flood levels were recorded at Benobble in the exiting Queenslandovernight on the 9th of February. Albert River catchment however fast rises and minor to moderate flooding was recorded throughout the Widespread shower and thunderstorm activity, Gold Coast rivers and streams. spreading to rain over some areas was recorded throughout the 16th through to the 19th of Rainfalls then moved north into the Sunshine February. The establishment of a firm ridge over Coastduring the 7th of February producing minor Queenslandduring the 19th and 20th brought more flooding in the Pine and Caboolture Rivers as well as stable conditions and confined rainfall to coastal and moderate flooding in the Mooloolah area. A general northern parts of the state. This moderate to heavy coastal warning for flash flooding was issued early on rainfall produced floods of varying severity in the the 7th of February continued into the 8th.