Australia -- Queensland Weather Update

MELBOURNE - Mar 9/09 - SNS -- The current forecast for the state of Queensland was released by Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.

IDQ1070001
WARNING SUMMARY
1. Tropical Cyclone Advice for coastal and island communities from Yeppoon to
Tewantin.
2. Coastal waters wind warning from St Lawrence to Point Danger.
3. Flood warnings for the Lower Diamantina River and Eyre Creek.
STATE FORECAST
for Monday night and Tuesday
Scattered showers and thunderstorms over Cape York Peninsula. Isolated afternoon
and evening showers and thunderstorms over remaining northern and western
districts. Isolated showers elsewhere, increasing to rain near the east coast
south of Gladstone with moderate to heavy falls possible about the Fraser and
Capricornia coasts. Strong to gale force SE winds about Fraser Island and the
exposed Capricornia coast and islands. Fresh to strong and gusty SE to E winds
about the southeast coast. Mostly light to moderate SE to NE winds elsewhere.
EXTENDED OUTLOOK
Tropical Cyclone Hamish is expected to continue moving southeast parallel to the
coast over the next day or so before slowing down and becoming near stationary
mid week. A large high near Tasmania is expected to move only slowly east into
the Tasman mid week with a firm ridge along the New South Wales and southern
Queensland coast. The combination of these two systems will continue to see
gusty SE winds along the Capricornia to southeast coasts with showers and patchy
rain, heavier about Fraser Island and northwards to nearer the cyclone. The
cyclone is likely to gradually weaken and move northwest from Wednesday, with
rain areas spreading into the central and southeast interior as an upper level
trough approaches from the west late in the week. Elsewhere showers and
thunderstorms are expected to continue over the remaining tropical areas in the
humid and unstable airmass, feeding down into western districts adjacent to a
surface trough over the Channel Country. Daytime temperatures are expected to
remain below the March average over the southeast of the state owing to cloud
cover and onshore winds. Overnight minimum temperatures generally a little above

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STAT News Service