Weather

Weekly rainfall wrap, week ending 8 Dec 2015

Sheep Central December 9, 2015

2015-12-9-rainfall-map

Early in the week a complex, broad low pressure area over northern and eastern Australia generated a cloudband with embedded thunderstorms that extended from the Kimberley and western Northern Territory through western Queensland to the northeastern New South Wales coast ahead of an upper-level trough.

Moderate to heavy rainfall was recorded in a broad area around the Western Australian and Northern Territory border, parts of the southern interior of Queensland and the northeast of New South Wales. A cold front tracked across Tasmania with a cloudband extending into eastern Victoria, generating moderate falls in southwest Tasmania and parts of East Gippsland.

Similar systems continued into the middle of the week. A surface trough also extended along the west coast of Western Australia, with thunderstorms forming along the trough and producing localised moderate to heavy rainfall in central Western Australia and in the Kimberley. A band of cloud with embedded thunderstorms associated with a surface-level trough extended from the northwest of Australia to the western Darling Downs in Queensland, with unstable conditions near and east of the surface trough including areas of the Cape York Peninsula and the north tropical coast. Persistent areas of low pressure across the Top End produced heavy falls in the Darwin–Daly district and Arnhem Land.

Convective cloud with extensive thunderstorm activity associated with a trough of low pressure covered much of the south of Western Australia from the middle of the week. Heavy precipitation also continued in the Kimberley, the Top End and across the Alice Springs district in the Northern Territory.

At the end of the week, extensive middle-level cloud formed along a trough of low pressure that extended from the northwest of Western Australia, through the northwest of South Australia, to a low pressure system passing slowly across the Great Australian Bight. Widespread, light rain fell over southeastern South Australia and across most of Victoria.

Rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm were recorded in the Top End, parts of the Kimberley, and the north tropical Queensland coast. The highest weekly total was 168 mm at Wandie Creek in the Darwin–Daly district of the Northern Territory.

Rainfall totals between 50 mm and 100 mm were recorded along the southern coast of Western Australia, in a small area of the Kimberley, areas of the Top End and western Northern Territory, and in small areas of the Capricornia coast and northern Darling Downs in Queensland.

Rainfall totals between 10 mm and 50 mm were recorded in large parts of southern, central and northern Western Australia; central, western and northern parts of the Northern Territory; areas of the Gulf Country and the Cape York Peninsula, and parts of the north tropical and Capricornia coasts. Similar totals were recorded in large areas of the southern interior of Queensland, northeastern New South Wales, northwestern South Australia, eastern Victoria and western Tasmania.

Remaining parts of South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, southwestern Queensland, New South Wales, most of western and central Victoria, and eastern Tasmania recorded little or no rainfall this week.

New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
72 mm Wilsons Downfall
61 mm Wallangra
57 mm Emmaville Post Office

Victoria
33 mm Bonang
28 mm Reeves Knob
23 mm Dellicknora

Queensland
138 mm Bambaroo
127 mm Mutarnee Store
90 mm Wandoan Post Office

Western Australia
109 mm Mount Barnett
102 mm Theda
95 mm Lake Grace

South Australia
43 mm Mintabie
36 mm Ernabella
14 mm Gawler, Piccadilly
Tasmania
48 mm Mount Read
36 mm Lake Margaret
33 mm Queenstown
Northern Territory

168 mm Wandie Creek

131 mm Douglas River
113 mm Mango Farm

More weekly rainfall totals:

Source: BOM

 

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