Weekly rainfall wrap + 14 day outlook, 5 Apr 2017

For Today’s 14-day rainfall outlook – scroll to bottom of article

Ex-tropical cyclone Debbie brought very heavy rainfall from Bowen to St Lawrence and adjacent inland areas before turning south-southeast, with moderate to heavy falls east of a line from about Bowen on the central coast of Queensland south to St George, and across the Queensland–New South Wales border to Moree in northern New South Wales.

Past seven days: At the start of the week, ex-tropical cyclone Debbie was located over the northern Central Highlands and Coalfields district in Queensland, heading slowly southwards. The system brought very heavy rainfall from Bowen to St Lawrence and adjacent inland areas before turning south-southeast. Extremely heavy rain followed across the central coast, and moderate to heavy falls east of a line from about Bowen on the central coast of Queensland south to St George, and across the Queensland–New South Wales border to Moree in northern New South Wales. As ex-tropical cyclone Debbie tracked southeast towards the southeast coast of Queensland, extremely heavy falls continued in southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales, particularly around Lismore. Moderate to heavy falls were recorded across northeastern and central coast districts in New South Wales before the system moved offshore around mid-week.

In the middle of the week, a cold front and surface trough tracked over southeastern Australia, with the cold southerly airstream in the wake of the cold front accompanied by light to moderate falls in southeastern South Australia, southern parts of Victoria, and western Tasmania.

During the week, broad areas of low pressure across northwestern and northern Australia produced moderate falls in the Pilbara and Kimberley in Western Australia, the Top End in the Northern Territory and Cape York Peninsula in Queensland.

The highest weekly total observed at a Bureau rainfall reporting site was 752 mm at Springbrook Road in southeastern Queensland. However, higher totals in excess of 1000 mm were reported at some flood warning network sites in the upper Pioneer River. Some rainfall stations were unable to report due to equipment having been damaged by Debbie, while Lismore’s rain gauge was not able to report after it was submerged by flood waters.

Rainfall totals in excess of 400 mm were recorded along the east Queensland coast between Bowen and St Lawrence, and in a small coastal area on the Queensland–New South Wales border.

Rainfall totals between 200 mm and 400 mm were recorded along much of Queensland’s coast from around Bowen southward, extending into the Northern Rivers district in northeastern New South Wales.

Rainfall totals between 100 mm and 200 mm were recorded along the east coast from north of Bowen, south to around Coffs Harbour on the Mid North Coast in New South Wales.

Rainfall totals between 50 mm and 100 mm were recorded in the northern Top End of the Northern Territory, and area around Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula, in Queensland east of line from Ayr south to the border around Goodiwindi, in northeastern New South Wales and along the east coast to Nowra, and in an area of the central west coast of Tasmania.

Rainfall totals between 10 mm and 50 mm were recorded in the Pilbara and Kimberley in Western Australia; the Top End of the Northern Territory; the Cape York Peninsula and extending inland to central parts of Queensland from heavier falls on the coast; northeastern and eastern New South Wales; parts of southern Victoria; far southeastern South Australia; and western Tasmania.

Little or no rainfall was recorded in remaining parts of Western Australia, South Australia away from the southeast, the southern two thirds of the Northern Territory, much of the western half of Queensland and New South Wales, much of Victoria away from the coast, and eastern Tasmania.