Weather

Weekly rainfall wrap + rain outlook, 31 March 2021

Bureau of Meteorology, March 31, 2021

A LOW pressure system and associated cold front brought moderate rainfall to eastern New South Wales and the far south-east of the country, while thunderstorms and showers in northern Australia.

Past seven days: In the early part of the week, a surface trough across inland Queensland extended west through the base of the Top End in the Northern Territory to the Kimberley in Western Australia. A deepening low pressure system and associated cold front was located in inland eastern New South Wales. As the trough in southern inland Queensland moved east off the coast, the low and associated cold front tracked south-east through eastern New South Wales, eastern Victoria and Tasmania. Another cold front immediately tracked over southern Victoria and Tasmania.

Thunderstorms and showers with moderate rainfall totals were recorded in the Kimberley in Western Australia, the Top End, the coastal Carpentaria and the Simpson desert in the Northern Territory, and areas across Queensland particularly in the north-west, tropical north and central coasts, and south-eastern parts of the state.

Widespread moderate rainfall totals were observed in eastern New South Wales, eastern and southern Victoria, and Tasmania. Some heavier falls with daily totals in excess of 100 mm were recorded in south-eastern New South Wales, south Gippsland in Victoria, and the north coast in Tasmania. Light falls were recorded in south-eastern South Australia.

In the middle of the week, a trough extended from the eastern Gulf of Carpentaria to the north tropical coast of Queensland and triggered thunderstorms and showers, with moderate rainfall totals recorded in the Gulf Country and northern Goldfields districts. Very heavy daily falls in excess of 100 mm were recorded in the southern North Tropical Coast District in Queensland.

In the south, a trough moved across South Australia to produce light to moderate rainfall across the western Agricultural and central Pastoral districts. A pair of weak cold fronts moved across the far south-east of Australia, and produced light to moderate rainfall in western and northern Tasmania, southern and eastern Victoria, and south-east South Australia.

At the end of the week, a trough inland from the west coast of Western Australia produced thunderstorms in the state’s north-west and south-west, with moderate rainfall totals across the inland Pilbara District.

Rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm were reported in south-eastern New South Wales, south and west Gippsland in Victoria, the west and east coasts of Tasmania, the north tropical coast and south-east of Queensland, and the north-western Top End in the Northern Territory. Gray in the East Coast of Tasmania recorded the highest weekly rainfall of 335 mm, and Cardwell Range in Queensland’s north tropical coast came in second with 317 mm.

Rainfall totals between 50 mm and 100 mm were recorded in the west Kimberley, the Top End, the north and along eastern Queensland, in the north-east and south-east of New South Wales, eastern Victoria, and much of Tasmania.

Rainfall totals between 10 mm and 50 mm were recorded across inland parts of the east Pilbara and the Kimberley in Western Australia; across most of the northern half, and the northern Simpson District in the Northern Territory; much of northern and eastern Queensland, as well as the state’s west and central areas; the western Agricultural and southern Pastoral districts in South Australia; much of the southern and eastern Victoria, and Tasmania.

Highest weekly totals

New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
166 mm Merimbula Airport Aws
165 mm Cathcart (Mount Darragh)
139 mm Cobargo Post Office
Victoria
240 mm Madalya
229 mm Balook
146 mm Mount Best (Upper Toora)
Queensland
312 mm Cardwell Range
278 mm Hawkins Creek
239 mm Gairloch
Western Australia
98 mm Country Downs
72 mm Red Hill
58 mm Mount Hart Station
South Australia
25 mm Tarcoola (Commonwealth Hill)
24 mm Nundroo
22 mm Hiltaba, Myponga
Tasmania
335 mm Gray (Dalmayne Rd)
171 mm Pyengana (Forest Lodge Road)
163 mm Mount Victoria (Una Plain)
Northern Territory
161 mm Ngukurr Airport
128 mm Snowdrop Creek
119 mm Jabiru Airport

Rainfall outlook

 

 

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