Australia -- Queensland Weather Update

MELBOURNE - Oct 5/10 - 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 Weir, Thomson and Barcoo Rivers.
STATE FORECAST
for Tuesday night and Wednesday
Fine over the state's interior.  Very isolated, mainly light showers about the
northeast coast. Isolated afternoon and evening showers and storms in the
southeast and central coasts and interior, and also in the state's northwest.
Patchy thundery rain in the southwest. Moderate to fresh SE winds over the far
northern tropics. Light to moderate NE to SE winds elsewhere.
EXTENDED OUTLOOK
Thursday: An upper level trough over central Australia will continue to extend a
thundery rain band into the state's southwest.  A surface trough should trigger
mainly isolated showers and storms in a band from the northwestern tropics,
across the central parts of the state, and into the southeast corner. Isolated
showers in a weak onshore flow about the rest of the east coast, increasing
ahead of a late southerly wind change about the southeast coast.  Fine over the
Northern Goldfields. Cooler daytime temperatures in the southwest as a high
pressure system moves into the Great Australian Bight and pushes southerly winds
over the Channel Country.
Friday: The high in the Great Australian Bight will extend a ridge across SE
Australia, and cooler, mainly moderate E to SE winds over the southern and
central districts. The high will also push a fresh to strong S/SE wind change up
the southern coastal areas during the morning, with showers and storms
increasing ahead of the change, and easing after the change.  Showers tending to
rain periods at times about the ranges north of Cardwell.  Cloudy with possible
morning drizzle about the ranges in the southeast.  The upper level trough
should by now be weakening about the state's west, and is only expected to
produce patchy rain areas over the western districts, mainly in the morning.
Nonetheless the upper trough should still keep areas further to the east
unstable, with isolated showers and storms expected over the central coast and
interior, and possible in the Gulf Country.
Saturday: A ridge will lie over Victoria and continue to extend fresh to strong
SE winds and mainly isolated showers along the east coast.  A broad surface
trough should also extend from the Gulf Country into the state's interior, and
is likely to trigger some isolated showers and storms about those regions.  An
upper level trough should remain over Central Australia, and is expected to
produce some patchy rain areas over the western districts.
The outlook for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday: A high should move slowly eastwards
across the southern Tasman Sea, bringing further showers to the east coast.
Isolated thunderstorms should also continue about the northern tropics and
central districts.  The upper level trough should remain over central Australia
and continue producing patchy rain areas in the west, though the falls will ease
early in the new week as the trough weakens.

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STAT News Service