Weekly rainfall wrap + 14 day outlook, 31 May 2017

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

A vigorous cold front and low pressure system produced showers and storms in southeastern Australia, bringing moderate rainfall totals, while a series of weak cold fronts brushed the southern coastline, producing mostly light rainfall.

Past seven days: At the start of the week, a trough and cold front produced a thick cloudband that tracked across the southeast. Moderate falls were recorded in parts of New South Wales, northeastern Victoria, and Tasmania. Moist, onshore showers brought light to moderate falls to areas of the north tropical Queensland coast.

In the middle of the week, a series of weak cold fronts brushed the southern coastline, producing mostly light rainfall in southern Western Australia, southeastern South Australia, western and southern Victoria. Moderate falls were recorded in western Tasmania.

At the end of the week, an intensifying cold front tracked over Victoria and Tasmania, associated with a low pressure system in the Southern Ocean. Widespread moderate falls were recorded across southwestern, southern, and northeastern Victoria, southeastern South Australia, and western and northern Tasmania. Isolated thunderstorms formed along a surface trough located through inland Queensland, with moderate falls recorded in northeastern New South Wales. Surface troughs over northwestern Western Australia also resulted in some light falls.

Rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm were recorded in western Tasmania, including the highest weekly total of 140 mm at Mount Read.

Rainfall totals between 50 mm and 100 mm were recorded across Wilsons Promontory, the South Gippsland region and a section of the Otway coast in southern Victoria, and most of northern and western Tasmania. Similar totals were recorded in a pocket of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales.

Rainfall totals between 10 mm and 50 mm were recorded in the coastal southwest and an area of central Western Australia; from the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula to southeastern South Australia; and across most of Victoria except the northwest and East Gippsland. Similar totals were recorded along the east coast and southeast of Tasmania; the north tropical coast of Queensland; and in the northeast, southeast and a pocket of central New South Wales.

Little or no rainfall was recorded in remaining parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, most of South Australia away from the southern coast and southeast, northwestern and far eastern Victoria, most of Queensland except the north tropical coast, and western and central districts of New South Wales.

Highest weekly totals

New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory

70 mm Thredbo Village

64 mm Perisher Valley AWS

57 mm Khancoban AWS

Victoria

79 mm Mount Buller

78 mm Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse

76 mm Grampians (Mount William)

Queensland

33 mm Reef Park

28 mm Sandy Cape Lighthouse