Australia -- Queensland Weather Update

MELBOURNE - Oct 22/10 - 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 Balonne, Lower Macintyre, Barcoo Rivers and
Cooper Creek.
STATE FORECAST
for Saturday night and Sunday
Today: Showers about the east coast north of Sarina and over Cape York
Peninsula. Isolated afternoon showers over the eastern districts, mainly over
inland areas south of Sarina. Cloud increasing with some rain areas and local
thunder over the far south-west Channel Country in the evening. Fine elsewhere.
Moderate to fresh SE/E winds along the north-east tropical coast. Light to
moderate E to NE winds elsewhere before a moderate S'ly change moving into the
south-west during the afternoon.
Sunday: Thundery rain areas over the southern Channel Country will extend
eastwards during the morning. Isolated afternoon showers and thunderstorms will
develop ahead of the rain band over the southern and SE interior, extending to
the coast south of Rockhampton in the evening. The thundery rain band will
contract to the SE corner at night, while clearing from the southern and SW
interior during the evening. Isolated showers will continue along the tropical
coast, developing inland in the afternoon. Isolated afternoon showers and
thunderstorms will continue on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula. Moderate
to fresh SE/E winds over the north-east tropical coast. Light to moderate E to
NE winds over the eastern districts, ahead of a light to moderate S/SE change
extending across the southern and central interior.
EXTENDED OUTLOOK
Monday: The middle level trough will move off the coast during the morning with
the associated thundery rain band weakening. However, conditions will remain
unstable and isolated afternoon showers and storms will develop over the
south-east, east of the surface trough. In the north, afternoon showers will
develop east of the surface trough while SE trade showers will continue north of
Cardwell. Isolated afternoon showers and storms will occur about the Gulf of
Carpentaria. A new band of some patchy light rain with possible thunder will
move into the south-west during the evening.
Tuesday: Conditions across eastern areas of the state will stabilize in the wake
of the middle trough. So only isolated afternoon showers will occur over eastern
districts east of the surface trough. SE trade showers will continue north of
Cairns while isolated afternoon showers and storms will continue about the Gulf
of Carpentaria. In the west, the patchy rain areas with local thunder will move
northwards and weaken a little as the winds shift to the NW to W in the upper
levels.
Wednesday: A weak high over Victoria will move eastwards slowly. SE stream will
maintained onto the east coast with isolated showers and over adjacent inland
areas in the afternoon. Isolated afternoon showers may also occur over the
northwest and tropical inland areas.
The outlook for Thursday, Friday and Saturday: A high will move into the
southern Tasman Sea maintaining a ridge onto the east coast. Isolated showers
will continue along the east coast and adjacent inland areas. The next upper
trough will begin to amplify over South Australia causing a new cloud band with
rain areas developing across the western border areas on Friday, and then
extending eastwards on Saturday.

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STAT News Service