Cold fronts produced significant rainfall in parts of southern Australia, while an onshore flow brought local, heavy daily rainfall to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales.
Past seven days: A cold front moved across southern and south-east Australia, and a low pressure system tracked through the Australian Bight and Bass Strait before forming a complex low pressure system in the western Tasman Sea, off the New South Wales south coast. Moderate rainfall was recorded along southern South Australia; south-west, central and north-eastern Victoria; south-east New South Wales, and northern and eastern Tasmania. Mostly light rainfall was recorded along the south coast of Western Australian from an onshore flow.
A ridge directed moist onshore flow to produce thunderstorms and showers in eastern parts of Queensland. Moderate rainfall was recorded in the Central Coast and Central Highlands districts and light rainfall was recorded in the state’s south-east.
At the middle of the week, a strong cold front swept through southern South Australia and western and central parts of Victoria and New South Wales. Widespread moderate to heavy daily rainfall from 30 mm to 60 mm was recorded in the south-east of South Australia including Adelaide on the 18th. The complex low pressure system moved slowly north towards the New South Wales central coast, bringing southerly winds and showers to eastern Tasmania, east Gippsland in Victoria, and the south and central New South Wales coast.
In the last part of the week, heavy daily rainfall from 50 mm to 100 mm was recorded in the Mid North Coast District in New South Wales for a couple days from an onshore flow, with rainfall easing on the last day of the week as the complex low moved further away from the Australian east coast.
In the west, a strong cold front and pre-frontal trough moved across south-west and southern Western Australia. Widespread moderate rainfall totals were recorded over much of the South West Land Division. Heavy daily rainfall totals from 50 mm to 100 mm were recorded in the South Coastal District, resulting in flash flooding in Albany and Demark. A trough and associated cloudband extended over the Pilbara and the state’s central and south-east. Moderate rainfall totals were recorded across much of the Pilbara, far west Kimberley and the Southern Interior districts at the end of the week. Locally heavier daily rainfall totals of 40 mm to 50 mm were recorded in the inland east Pilbara.
For the week as a whole, rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm were reported in several locations in the Mid North Coast District in New South Wales and in isolated spots in the South Coastal District in Western Australia. The highest weekly total was 215 mm at Smiths Lake, north of Newcastle, in New South Wales.
Rainfall totals in excess of 50 mm were reported in the coastal south-west of Western Australia; in the Adelaide Metropolitan area, Mount Lofty Ranges and western Murraylands districts in South Australia; spots in the south-west and north-east of Victoria; eastern Tasmania; the central and north coasts of New South Wales and spots in the Central Coast District in Queensland.
Rainfall totals between 10 mm and 50 mm were recorded in most of the South West Land Division, most of the Pilbara, far west Kimberley, along the Eucla coast, and the Southern Interior districts in Western Australia. Similar totals were recorded across southern South Australia and up to the Flinders and adjacent eastern Pastoral region; eastern and northern Tasmania; most of Victoria; the south-west, south-east and north-east of New South Wales, and the Central Coast and Central Highlands districts in Queensland.
Highest weekly totals
New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
215 mm Smiths Lake (Patsys Flat Road)
160 mm Bungwahl
116 mm Crawford River (Crawford)
Victoria
57 mm Grampians (Mount William)
51 mm Gelantipy
43 mm Gerang Gerung (Comparison)
Queensland
80 mm Strathmore
63 mm Logan City Water Treatment Pla
60 mm Pleystowe Sugar Mill
Western Australia
126 mm Kimberley
96 mm Windrush
92 mm Northcliffe
South Australia
98 mm Uraidla
86 mm Uraidla (Sutton Creek)
85 mm Lenswood
Tasmania
96 mm Bicheno (Council Depot)
89 mm Little Swanport (Lisdillon Far
88 mm Friendly Beaches
Northern Territory
10 mm Gove Airport
2 mm Curtin Springs
1 mm Gemtree Park
Rainfall outlook
Source: BOM
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