Weather

Weekly rainfall wrap + rain outlook, 17 March 2021

Bureau of Meteorology, March 17, 2021

Thunderstorms and showers produced widespread moderate falls across northern and eastern Australia, while a cold front and surface troughs brought moderate falls to parts of southern and eastern Australia.

Past seven days: At the start of the week, surface troughs extended across the west and north of Australia, and another surface trough extended from the north-west through central Australia to the south-east. Embedded low pressure systems were located over the north and south-west of Western Australia, and over central Australia.

Showers and thunderstorms developed in the vicinity of the surface troughs, with moderate falls from the eastern Pilbara to the south coast, and the Kimberley in Western Australia; across most of the Northern Territory; western and southern Queensland; parts of South Australia agricultural districts, and northern New South Wales.

The surface trough in central and south-east Australia deepened and moved slowly east and north through inland Queensland and New South Wales, and generated further moderate falls over southern Queensland, central to eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria.

In the middle of the week, thunderstorms continued over the Kimberley and north-west Top End in the Northern Territory, and in the interior and south of Western Australia, southern parts of the Northern Territory, and northern parts of South Australia. Moderate falls were recorded as the trough and associated cloudband moved through southern Western Australia, southern Northern Territory and South Australia, ahead of a cold front tracking the country’s southern coastline.

In the last part of the week, a cold front and surface trough moved across south-east Australia. Moderate falls were recorded in western Tasmania, eastern Victoria and south-eastern New South Wales with the passage of the cold front. The surface trough deepened and extended north across the Kimberley to the base of the Top End in the Northern Territory, and through Queensland and north-east New South Wales. Widespread moderate falls were recorded across eastern and north-eastern New South Wales, through parts of central to south-east Queensland, the Cape York Peninsula and the Gulf Country; also across central parts of Northern Territory and the Kimberley.

At the end of the week, the surface trough moved eastwards across Queensland and generated thunderstorms and showers, with moderate falls in areas from north-west to south-east Queensland. Thunderstorms and moderate to locally heavy falls were recorded in the Kimberley, parts of the Top End in the Northern Territory and the Cape York Peninsula.

Rainfall totals in excess of 200 mm were reported in the east Kimberley in Western Australia, including the highest weekly total of 234 mm at Flora Valley.

Rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm were recorded in the Kimberley, north-west and southern parts of the Northern Territory, and small pockets across southern Queensland and north-east New South Wales.

Rainfall totals between 50 mm and 100 mm were recorded across the Kimberley; in northern, western and southern parts of the Northern Territory; in parts of the Cape York Peninsula, and areas across western and southern Queensland; areas of the east coast of New South Wales extending to inland districts, and a small area of western Tasmania.

Rainfall totals between 10 mm and 50 mm were recorded across northern and parts of southern Western Australia, remaining areas of the Northern Territory, northern and south-east parts of South Australia, most of Queensland except the north-east coast, northern and eastern New South Wales, central to eastern Victoria, and western Tasmania.

Highest weekly totals

New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
142 mm Rosebank (Repentance Creek)
134 mm Nashua (Wilsons River)
128 mm Mooral Creek (The Den)

Victoria
53 mm Mount Baw Baw
47 mm Gelantipy
40 mm Orbost, Mount Moornapa

Queensland
146 mm Aurukun Shire Council, Carneys Creek, The Ranch
143 mm Weipa Eastern Ave

Western Australia
234 mm Flora Valley
221 mm Old Mornington Homestead
215 mm Lake Argyle Resort

South Australia
28 mm Kimba
27 mm Wharminda
26 mm Cowell (Winter Springs)

Tasmania
89 mm Mount Read
72 mm Queenstown (South Queenstown), Zeehan

Northern Territory
195 mm Bradshaw
164 mm Inverway
150 mm Bradshaw – Koolendong Valley

Rainfall outlook

 

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