Monsoon conditions, major flood warnings and heavy rainfall douses Australia
Hundreds of thousands of Australians are in hiding as monsoon conditions lead to mass downpours and riverbed flooding in what meteorologists predict could be a wild weekend for the country.
A tropical low has formed over the Coral Sea approximately 116 km northeast of Cairns and is moving towards the mainland, bringing heavy rainfall to the Daintree Rainforest.
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said the bureau initially monitored the lows as it had the potential to form a tropical cyclone, but that outcome was now considered “unlikely”.
“Very heavy rainfall is coming to North Queensland. There was a major fall in the Daintree River area at around 9am yesterday morning, with stations at different locations recording floods of 425 millimeters, 366 millimeters and 285 millimeters each,” Mr Narramore said.
“We expect this tropical low to likely cross the coast on Friday afternoon, with the worst conditions located well away from where the low intersects. Heavy rainfall begins to spread towards Herbert and the Lower Burdekin.
“Flood watches are in place for much of northern and eastern Queensland and flash and river floods like we have already seen on the Daintree River are likely.”
Mr Narramore said the Northern Territory would also experience “widespread heavy rainfall” this weekend, particularly around Katherine, which had received between 100 and 200mm of rainfall since 9am on Thursday morning.
“Widespread heavy rainfall is also leading to flash and marine flooding. We now expect to see possibly major flooding on the Katherine River as it continues into Friday,” he said.
Western Australia is experiencing warm and sunny weather over the weekend, especially in the south where fire danger is increasing as temperatures are expected to reach the high 30s and low 40s.
Occasional showers are expected across NSW and southern Queensland.
The temperature in Sydney on Saturday is expected to be at least 22 and at most 29 degrees.
Temperatures on the highway to Canberra will vary more significantly, with a high of 30°C and a low of 15°C.
The lowest temperature in Melbourne will be 15°C and the highest temperature will be 30°C, and Hobart residents, who start their weekends with an early morning run, will wake up a little cold as the day progresses, with the lowest temperature predicted to be 13°C and the highest temperature to be 23°C.
Brisbane will have a low of 22°C and a high of 30°C, Adelaide will have a low of 14°C and a high of 27°C, and Darwin will have a rainy day with a high of 29°C and a low of 24°C.
A sweltering Saturday is expected in Perth in the west, with a high of 36°C and a low of 21°C.
