Australia -- Queensland Weather Update

MELBOURNE - Aug 16/10 - SNS -- The current forecast for the state of Queensland was released by Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.

IDQ1070001
WARNING SUMMARY
Nil.
STATE FORECAST
for Monday night and Tuesday
Fine throughout apart from a isolated light showers over the far northern Cape
York Peninsula and Torres Strait spreading southwards to about the Cardwell area
during Tuesday. Widespread morning frosts over the south-east and southern
interior. Moderate E to SE winds over the northern tropics. Light to moderate SW
to SE winds elsewhere shifting SE to NE during Tuesday. Some middle cloud
entering the far south-west of the state late Tuesday.
EXTENDED OUTLOOK
Wednesday: The high will move into the Tasman Sea and will maintain SE winds
onto the east tropical coast while along the southern coast winds will shift to
the E to NE. Isolated showers will continue along the east tropical coast north
of Cardwell and will develop along the remaining east coast north of Fraser
Island. An upper trough will move into central Australia and will spread the
middle cloud band across the far south-west and southern inland border areas.
Winds over southern and central Queensland will shift warmer N/NW before a drier
S'ly change which will move into the south-west late in the day. Consequently,
daytime temperatures over the interior will be above average. Any morning frost
will be restricted to the Granite Belt region.
Thursday: The high will continue to move eastwards and direct relatively moist
low level winds into the state before the surface trough. An upper trough system
will move south-eastwards into south-eastern Australia. Consequently, the middle
cloud band will move eastwards and thicken resulting in patchy rain areas
developing. The surface trough will move across the south-west while a
prefrontal trough deepens over the interior. As a result showers and storms will
develop in the vicinity of these troughs in the afternoon and evening in the
moist NE to NW airflow. A new high will move into South Australia and will
direct dry SW to SE winds across the state after the trough.
Friday: The surface trough will move off the southern coast during the morning
and then off the remaining east coast during the afternoon and evening. At the
same time the upper trough will move seawards. The middle cloud band will move
north-eastwards across southern areas of the state during the day in a decaying
mode as it decouples from the upper system. The associated rainfall will
therefore weaken during the day. Showers and possible storms will occur with the
surface trough as it moves eastwards and will also decrease during the afternoon
as the atmosphere begins to stabilize. Isolated SE trade showers north of
Cardwell will contract to north of Cooktown during the afternoon.
Outlook for Saturday, Sunday and Monday: A new middle cloud band with patchy
rain will move into the south-west during Saturday and then across remaining
southern districts during Sunday. However, at this stage, the main rain will not
move onto the south-east coast til later Monday conditions become more unstable
in this area. Over the rest of the state conditions will be fine apart from
isolated SE trade showers along the east coast north of about the Bowen area.

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STAT News Service