Australia -- Queensland Weather Update

MELBOURNE - Mar 8/03 - 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 Sunday and Monday
Scattered showers and thunderstorms over Cape York Peninsula becoming more
isolated about the southern Gulf. A few showers about exposed parts of the east
coast. Mostly fine elsewhere with only isolated afternoon showers or
thunderstorms over the southern and central interior. Moderate to fresh S/SE
winds along the east coast and light to moderate SE to NE winds inland.  
EXTENDED OUTLOOK
There is evidence that ex-tropical cyclone Erica may be in a favourable
environment to redevelop into a tropical cyclone later on 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 hover over far northern Cape York Peninsula
during the next few days with showers and thunderstorms persisting in its
vicinity. A tropical low is located to the north-west of Darwin and on current
evidence is expected to move over the Top End of the Territory over the next few
days and into the Gulf of Carpentaria on Wednesday bringing rain and gale force
winds. There is even some evidence that this system will move into the
north-west of the state and bring some good rains to this area late in the week.
The S/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 the redeveloped TC Erica.
The winds will strengthen along the southern coasts from about late Monday or
Tuesday onwards due mostly to TC Erica. These winds will bring showers to the
east coast. 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, conditions initially will be mostly
fine with only isolated showers or storms about the southern Downs. However, an
upper trough will amplify across Qld during Tuesday and Wednesday. This trough
will destabilize conditions over the interior and produce isolated showers and
storms extending in a band from the north-west to the southern interior. This
upper trough will also enhance the shower activity about the southern coast
especially south of Fraser island and allow these showers to extend onto the
Downs.    

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STAT News Service

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