July records fall with Queensland rain
Craig McIntosh,
Wednesday July 20, 2016 - 12:43 AEST
As low pressure troughs over Queensland weaken and rain dissipates, many gauges are indicating record July falls.
For the last few days, deep troughs full of tropical moisture have slowly made their way west and south across the state, delivering rain to many places and breaking some monthly rainfall records in a very short period of time. Despite the flatter lands of the central west experiencing more significant flooding, the heaviest falls occurred east of the divide.
Cardwell is already in the grips of its wettest July in 145 years of records, with 180mm collected so far. In the 24 hours to 9am on Monday alone, 86mm fell, almost three times the monthly average in one day.
Rockhampton has accumulated 254mm so far this month, smashing the previous July record of 184mm set back in 1950. In fact, the Capricornia town broke its monthly rainfall record in the space of just 48 hours last weekend when about 200mm fell.
The soil around Yeppoon is well and truly soaked through as over 450mm has fallen over the town this month. Well and truly leaving the previous record of 328mm in its wake, it is the most rain collected in the month of July since records began in 1891.
A very broad high pressure ridge is starting to take shape over Queensland, so it is more than likely these totals won't rise too much further, if at all, to see out the end of a very uncharacteristic July.
- Weatherzone
© Weatherzone
2016