Sunday saw another day where temperatures climbed above average across QLD and NSW as a broad area of high pressure kept skies clear and winds light. In NSW, temperatures rose to 6 degrees above average over the far northern coast. In QLD, temperatures rose up to 8 degrees above average across the southern inland. In Brisbane, temperatures nudged just over 26 degrees, making it their warmest day since late May. Cairns and the Gold Coast also had their warmest day since early May. The warm days will continue into Monday with temperatures still up to 5 degrees above average in QLD and up to 3 degrees above average in Sydney. These warm days will come to an end by Tuesday when a low pressure trough and associated cold front push colder air across these states, returning temperatures close to average.
An intense low pressure system that passed to the south of TAS during Sunday has been directing strong westerly winds over the southeast. Early on Sunday morning, winds were gusting up to 120 km/h at Maatsuyker Island. As a cold front approached the southeast during Sunday afternoon, winds were still gusting up to 111 km/h at Cape Grim. As this cold front sweeps across the southeast on Sunday night, winds are expected to maintain their strength, prompting Severe Wind Warnings for Alpine districts of NSW and VIC. Showers in these winds have not brought much rainfall so far. In the 24 hours to 9am Sunday, the heaviest falls have been in northwest TAS with Cradle Valley recording 41mm. In the 8 hours since 9am, another 20mm had fallen over parts of western TAS. These showery winds will being to ease during Monday as a high pressure system edges into the southeast. However, winds will still be strong and gusty across eastern VIC and parts of TAS into Monday evening.
Westerly winds will carry further showers across southwest WA during the weekend. A cold front brought moderate falls on Thursday including 35mm at Merivale and 34mm at Denmark. Falls eased on Friday behind the front with Esperance picking up the top fall from 9am to 3pm with 5mm. That took the monthly total in Esperance to 72mm, not far off the long term average of 97mm. Light showers will continue on Saturday and Sunday along the Lower West and Southwest coasts but will clear from the south coast as winds tend northwesterly. With only light falls for Perth during the weekend the city will need around 150mm during August to avoid 2006 being its driest winter on record. The August average for Perth is 136mm. Showers should become a little heavier across southwest WA on Monday near a weak cold front.
A trough moved off the east coast on Friday afternoon, causing rain to clear out to sea. A ridge of high pressure replaced the trough and will bring a mostly sunny weekend to QLD and coastal NSW. Fed by moist northeasterly winds the trough generated heavy rain in eastern QLD on Thursday and early Friday with 58mm at Bundaberg to 9am, its highest daily July rain total since 1978. Yeppoon picked up 52mm, its heaviest July rain since at least 1995. Brisbane received 26mm from midnight to 3pm while the Southeast QLD catchment region received around 20mm. Northeast NSW also received rain on Friday with 31mm at Cape Byron to 5pm, adding to the 76mm received earlier in the week. Most of QLD and NSW have now received above average July rainfall. A sunny weekend will follow the rain with daytime temperatures up to 6 above average. Sydney is forecast to reach 21 on Saturday and 19 on Sunday (average 16). Brisbane is heading for highs of 24 and 25 (average 22).
A pair of fronts will bring cold, windy and showery weather to the southeast this weekend. The first front crossed SA on Friday, generating wind gust to 91 km/h at Cape Willoughby. Rainfall was only light, with falls below 1mm to 5pm, although heavier falls of around 2 to 5mm are likely in agricultural districts by Saturday morning. The front will cross VIC and TAS on Saturday, followed by a second front late Sunday. Strong to gale force westerly winds will accompany the fronts, before winds ease on Monday. Cumulative falls should reach over 30mm in western TAS, around 15mm in far southwest VIC and between 5 to 10mm in the rest of TAS and southern VIC. Falls in northern VIC will be generally below 5mm. While temperatures will not dip much below average July levels it will be cold enough for much needed snowfalls across the Alps. Heavy falls are unlikely but most resorts should receive at least 10 cm by Monday afternoon.
Clear skies and light winds due to an overlying high pressure system have caused areas of fog across the southeast of the country on Thursday morning. Fog reduced visibility to 0m at various stages of the morning in Brisbane, Albury, Cootamundra, Katoomba and Yamba. It was a cold morning around southeast SA and western VIC with minimum temperatures dropping up to 7 degrees below average. The most extreme overnight temperatures were observed at Robe Airport (SA) and Casterton (VIC) with 0 and -2 degrees respectively. Fogs and extreme minimum temperatures will be less likely on Friday morning with an increase in cloud and winds across the region.
A low pressure trough lingering off the east coast that has brought showers over the past few days is set to deliver further showers on Friday. On Wednesday night, the trough nudged close to the northern NSW coast, bringing a heavy burst of showers. Port Macquarie Airport received 77mm in the 24 hours to 9am Thursday, with 70mm falling in only 3 hours. Port Macquarie has accumulated 226mm this month (162mm above average) and has experienced their wettest July in 12 years of records. The trough settled just offshore on Thursday, delivering little in the way of precipitation to mainland Australia. The trough of low pressure did move slightly towards the southern QLD coast on Thursday, causing cloud to increase throughout the day before generating a few evening showers. The trough is to bring scattered showers to the southern QLD and northern NSW coast on Friday with more isolated showers over the nearby inland. Showers will clear to the east on Friday as an area of high pressure begins to ridge in.
A strong cold front has crossed southwestern WA on Thursday producing showers, gale force winds and isolated storms. Southwesterly winds in the wake of the front gusted up to 103km/hr at Cape Leeuwin, 98km/hr at Cape Naturaliste and 93km/hr at Rottnest Island. A Severe Weather Warning was issued due to locally destructive winds gusts. A Sheep Graziers Warning was also enforced due to the cold, wet and windy conditions. In the 24 hours to 9am Thursday, the top rainfall total was 36mm at Brunswick Junction. Since then to 3pm WST, Mount William picked up 23mm. The atmosphere was unstable with isolated storms produced throughout the region. On Friday, the showers will spread along the southern coastline into SA. Winds are to remain strong with Gale and Strong Wind Warnings in force for all SA coastal waters on Friday. Further showers can be expected across southwest WA over the next couple of days with a westerly airstream to bring isolated showers.
A cold front will cross southwest WA on Thursday, bringing a colder change and causing strong northwesterly winds to turn gusty southwesterly. Widespread showers are likely across the Southwest Land Division. The front will make landfall on the Southwest Capes early in the morning, before reaching Perth by early afternoon. It will then move along the south coast, reaching Esperance during the evening. A Gale Warning has been issued between Jurien Bay and Israelite Bay, warning of squalls up to 100km/hr possible with the front. Widespread falls of 5-10mm are expected across the Southwest Land Division, with local falls up to 20mm south of Mandurah and along the south coast.
A high is leading to light winds across southeastern Australia, which, combined with very high moisture levels, is causing thick morning fog areas. On Wednesday morning, the thickest fogs were in western VIC, inland NSW and TAS, where some locations recorded 0m visibility, including Casterton, Cootamundra, Bushy Park, Cowra, Lake Cargelligo, Tarraleah and Ararat. In VIC, the light northerly winds piled up moisture along the northern slopes, keeping the coastal fringe mostly sunny. This allowed Melbourne to reach 18C, making it the warmest place in the state, and also making it their warmest day since 19th May. Another foggy morning is likely on Thursday, as the weak area of high pressure remains in place. Fogs will be less likely from Friday as westerly winds freshen.
