Australia -- Queensland Weather Update

MELBOURNE - Mar 1/07 - SNS -- The current forecast for the state of Queensland was released by Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.

IDQ1070001
WARNING SUMMARY
A Severe Weather Warning for people in exposed coastal areas and Islands in the
southern and eastern Gulf of Carpentaria.
A Strong Wind Warning for coastal waters from Cape Bowling Green to Sandy Cape
for Saturday.
STATE FORECAST
for the rest of Friday and Saturday
Scattered showers and thunderstorms over the Gulf Country and Cape York
Peninsula. Isolated showers or thunderstorms developing over the central west,
northwest, northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders districts on Saturday.
Isolated showers about the east coast south of about Townsville, with the chance
of a thunderstorm near the southeast border ranges this afternoon. Light to
moderate NW to NE winds over the northern tropics. Moderate to fresh S to SE
winds along the remaining east coast, shifting light to moderate E to NE inland.
EXTENDED OUTLOOK
The monsoon trough will dominate the weather pattern over northern Queensland
over the coming week. Unfortunately, there is still some disagreement amongst
some forecast computer models as to the evolution of the low on the monsoon
trough over the northern Coral Sea. Most forecast models anticipate some
intensification, so it is still expected that the system may develop into a
tropical cyclone during the next day or so. The general consensus regarding
movement is that it will most likely remain near stationary before possibly
adopting a more southerly track by early next week, parallel to and off the east
coast. As a result of the intensification and possible movement of the system,
combined with the passage of a large high across southeast Australia, it is
expected that winds and seas will increase along the east coast between about
Townsville and Fraser Island during the weekend. The stronger onshore winds are
also likely to bring increased shower activity to the east coast southward from
the central coast. However, the more intense and heavy falls are likely to occur
out to sea nearer the system centre.
Besides this development, the monsoon trough over the far north is likely to
continue to produce some showers and thunderstorms over Cape York Peninsula and
the Gulf Country. Elsewhere, conditions should remain fine or mostly fine owing
to more stable conditions well south of the monsoon trough. A new surface and
upper level trough will move into the southern interior of the state on Monday,
producing isolated showers and thunderstorms in this area into Tuesday before
weakening.
Generally above average temperatures in the high thirties to low forties can be
expected for the outlook period through much of the interior, milder over the

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STAT News Service