Weather News

Showers hit thirsty Townsville overnight

Ben Domensino, Monday September 12, 2016 - 12:22 AEST

Townsville enjoyed the heaviest September rain in six years overnight, briefly dampening Queensland's parched tropical coastline.

Moisture-laden onshore winds feeding into a trough produced the showers, with falls of 20-30mm recorded between Townsville and Cairns. For some areas, it was the heaviest rain in a couple of months and the heaviest September rain in over half a decade.

Townsville Airport recorded 11mm in five hours, which is their heaviest September daily rainfall since the El Nino of 2010. Cairns Airport (13mm) and South Johnstone (22mm) both saw their heaviest September rain in three years overnight as well.

These statistics may seem like good news, although they more accurately highlight how dry the region has been in recent times. Last night's rain was just a drop in the ocean compared to the annual average and won't have any significant impact on making up for the rainfall deficits seen in recent years.

Annual rainfall has been lower than usual for the last three years in Townsville and last year was the driest on record, thanks largely to a strong El Nino in the Pacific Ocean. Only 398mm of rain was recorded in the airport's gauge during 2015, making it the driest calendar year since at least 1940.

September is typically Townsville's driest calendar month, contributing only 10mm of rain to the 1135mm seen throughout a typical calendar year. Only two of the last seventeen September's have managed to see double digits, the last of which was 2010.

The dry run in recent years has taken its toll on the town's water storage. Ross River Dam, the largest of Townsville City's water supply storages, was sitting at just 19 per cent capacity as of this morning. This is Lake Ross' lowest level in recent years.

Looking ahead, there are signs that things could improve soon as a number of climate models predict rainfall will return closer to average in and around Townsville later in the year. The Pacific Ocean is currently showing signs of a La Nina-like pattern, which if maintained, could enhance rainfall over northern and eastern parts of Queensland during the upcoming wet season.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2016

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