Australia -- Queensland Weather Update

MELBOURNE - Aug 12/10 - SNS -- The current forecast for the state of Queensland was released by Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.

IDQ1070001
WARNING SUMMARY
1. A severe weather warning for damaging wind gusts is current for the
south-east corner for the remainder of today.
2. A strong wind warning is current for coastal waters south of Double Island
Point including Moreton Bay.
STATE FORECAST
for Thursday night and Friday
Fine over most of the state. Isolated showers over northern Cape York Peninsula
and through Torres Strait. Cloudy periods with areas of drizzle over the
southern Darling Downs and Granite Belt with possible sleet developing over the
Granite Belt overnight. Scattered morning frosts over the central, southern and
south-east interior. As well, some morning frost likely on the Atherton
Tableland. Cool over much of the state with moderate to fresh and gusty SW to SE
winds.
EXTENDED OUTLOOK
Saturday: A surface trough will move across the west of the state during the
afternoon and evening with gusty SW winds developing in its wake as a low to the
south of the continent deepens. Some high cloud but with no rain will accompany
the front. The high will move offshore of south-east Queensland and slowly
weaken. Winds across southern Qld before the front will shift warmer N'ly and
freshen late in the day. Morning frosts will again be widespread over southern
and central inland areas of the state and also possibly occur again over the
Atherton Tablelands. Isolated showers will continue about far northern Cape York
Peninsula and through Torres Strait where the SE trade flow will remain moist.
Sunday: The surface trough will mix off the southern coast during the afternoon
and off the remaining east coast overnight allowing cooler gusty SW to SE winds
to spread across much of the state. The SW winds about the south-east corner of
the state will be gusty. The remnants of the high cloud will pass seawards off
the far southern coast during the afternoon and will not produce any
precipitation. However, low cloud will develop about far southern parts of the
Maranoa, Darling Downs and Granite Belt during the afternoon with some drizzle
developing about the Granite Belt overnight. Isolated stream showers will
continue over far northern Cape York Peninsula and through Torres Strait.
Conditions will be fine elsewhere across the state.
Monday: Ridging from a high over the Great Australian Bight will again become
established across southern and central Qld. This ridge will drive dry SW to SE
winds across most of the state. The gusty SW winds over the south-east of the
state will slowly ease. However, cloudy conditions will continue over the
Darling Downs and Maranoa area with some drizzle mainly in the morning about the
Granite Belt area. Isolated stream showers will continue over far northern Cape
York Peninsula and through Torres Strait. Some morning frosts will occur over
the southern and central interior.
Outlook for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: A new high pressure system will
move across south-eastern Australia and across the Tasman Sea ahead of a new
upper trough which will move into central australia. As a result winds across
the state will initially shift to the SE to E. These winds will then shift to
the NE to N over southern and central areas of the state before a gusty SW wind
change and trough which will move across western and south-western areas of the
state on Thursday. A middle cloud and rain band will accompany the trough into
the south-west of the state. The SE trade showers over northern Cape york
Peninsula will slip southwards to the Cardwell area during Tuesday and along
parts of the remaining east coast during Wednesday and Thursday. Morning frosts
will occur over the southern and south-east inland on Tuesday morning and then
become confined to the southern Downs on Wednesday morning.

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STAT News Service