Australia -- Queensland Weather Update

MELBOURNE - Jan 1/08 - SNS -- The current forecast for the state of Queensland was released by Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.

IDQ1070001
UPDATED
WARNING SUMMARY
1. A coastal waters wind warning is current between St Lawrence and Point Danger
including Hervey Bay and Moreton Bay.
2. A severe weather warning has been issued for the eastern Gulf of Carpentaria
and Torres Strait.
3. A strong wind warning is current for the far northern Gulf of Carpentaria for
late Wednesday.
4. Flood warnings are current for the Paroo, Bulloo, the Thomson and Barcoo
Rivers and Cooper Creek.
STATE FORECAST
for Tuesday night and Wednesday
Areas of rain, showers and thunderstorms over Cape York Peninsula and about the
southern Gulf of Carpentaria with locally heavy falls. Scattered showers along
the southern coast becoming isolated about the central coast. Fine elsewhere.
Light to moderate SE to E winds over most of the state becoming fresh to strong
along the east coast south of about Yeppoon. Freshening NW monsoon winds over
northern Cape York Peninsula.
UPDATED
EXTENDED OUTLOOK
The low over the Coral Sea will continue to gradually weaken and will still be
located over the eastern Coral Sea over the weekend. An upper trough will
amplify over south-eastern Australia over the next few days. As a result this
system will induce a low at the surface off the southern Qld coast on Thursday
which will then move inland during Friday. This low will increase the winds
along the coast south of Fraser Island during Thursday and Friday. The showers
in the onshore stream about this section of coast will increase to rain during
Thursday and spread inland to the southern interior on Friday. Some moderate to
heavy falls will occur over the south-east and southern inland with this low.
Swells may also increase on Friday along the coast south from Fraser Island and
continue to affect the coast through the weekend. The upper low will move
southwards from late Friday onwards resulting in the rain and stronger winds
moving into NSW. However, conditions will remain very humid over the south-east
and eastern areas of the state with further showers and isolated thunderstorms
in the south.
In the far north of the state the monsoon will become very active. The monsoon
low over the Top End of the Northern territory forecast to move into and across
the Gulf of Carpentaria from Friday onwards and may develop into a tropical
cyclone. This low will then move across Cape York Peninsula into the north-west
Coral Sea. The NW monsoon flow will become quite strong by Thursday across the
far northern Gulf of Carpentaria week and the north-west Coral Sea. Some gales
may even develop in this flow. Monsoon rain and storm bands will increase over
Cape York Peninsula. Some heavy falls will result from these bands.
Conditions will remain fine over the far west of the state into and through the

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STAT News Service