Australia -- Queensland Weather Update

MELBOURNE - Mar 7/03 - SNS -- The current forecast for the state of Queensland was released by Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.

IDQ1070001
WARNING SUMMARY
Flood warnings are current for the Thomson River and Cooper Creek and for the
Diamantina River.
STATE FORECAST
for the rest of Saturday and Sunday
Scattered showers and thunderstorms over Cape York Peninsula and near coastal
parts of the Gulf Country. A few showers about exposed parts of the east coast.
Mostly fine inland with only isolated showers or thunderstorms over the
southwest contracting into the central and southern interior on Sunday. Moderate
to fresh SE winds along the east coast and light to moderate SE to NE winds
mostly elsewhere. 
EXTENDED OUTLOOK
There is strong evidence that ex-tropical cyclone Erica may be in a favourable
environment to redevelop into a tropical cyclone during Sunday or Monday as an
upper level trough amplifies over eastern Australia. This upper trough will be a
slow-moving system and should steer any redeveloped tropical cyclone away from
the Queensland coast to the south-east.
The monsoon trough is expected to lie over far northern Cape York Peninsula
during the next few days with showers and thunderstorms persisting in its
vicinity.  
The SE winds along most of the east coast will persist well into the week driven
by a slow moving high over the Tasman Sea and TC Erica. The winds will
strengthen along the southern and central coasts from about Monday onwards due
mostly to TC Erica. These winds will bring showers to the east coast and this
activity will become more isolated from Tuesday onwards along most of the
tropical coast as Erica moves southwards. However, along the southern coast
showers will increase due to the winds shifting more E'ly and increasing in
moisture. Over the interior, a few showers and storms will occur initially about
the inland trough but this activity will weaken away as the atmosphere
stabilizes across the state from Monday onwards. This stable airflow will extend
northwards onto southern Cape York Peninsula during clearing most of the showers
and storms from this area.   

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STAT News Service

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