Queensland rain event 23/24 July 2008
The rain event of 23 and 24 July 2008 in Queensland has produced a spate of amazing rainfall reports and a few new weather records have been set for July. While reported extensively on Weatherzone, I have verified many of these and have checked several weather stations in the affected regions. Some do vary but the most amazing aspect of this event is that it has occurred in a region that is normally dry at this time of the year.
Charters Towers:
This town has recorded up to 145.4 mm of rain from 1 July to 25 July which is found to be a new July rainfall record.
Mackay:
An area west of Mackay recorded over 100 mm of rain which is four times its July monthly average.
Townsville:
Ayre south of Townsville has scored its wettest July on record (Weatherzone)
Some rainfall figures for the 7 days 19 July to 25 July which captures the event include:-
North Coast:
Cairns 34 mm, Greenhaven 67 mm, Kareeya 93 mm, Cardwell 77 mm, Cardwell Range 105 mm, Halifax 84 mm, Ingham 81 mm, Tully Sugar Mill 144 mm, Paluma 119 mm.
East Central Coast:
Blue Mountain 106 mm, Byfield 112 mm, Cardowan 127 mm, Dalrympie Heights 135 mm, Doraville 109 mm, Mirani 120 mm, Samuel Hill 136 mm (Samuel Hill picked up 105 mm in one day which appears to be the new highest one day tally for the month of July since record keeping commenced 7 years ago (From Weatherzone News), Yeppoon 89 mm, Rockhampton 72 mm.
West Central Coast:
Charters Towers 123 mm, Mt Mc Connell 152 mm.
South Coast:
Bundaberg 80 mm, Childers South 92 mm, Gin Gin 95 mm, Gladstone 89 mm, Hervey Bay 122 mm.
Even places like Maroochydore scored 119 mm.
Numerous other centres scored more than 50 mm right up and down the Queensland Coast including the south east.
Temperatures:
With the rain came a rather unusual cold snap for the whole area. Checking official weather stations, the maximum temperatures for the places mentioned below are noteworthy:-
Charleville - On July 20 it reached 27.2 C with the minimum being 11.5 C. On 23/7/08 the maximum temperature was just 12 C and the minimum was 8.1 C. A rather large difference in the maximums just 3 days apart.
Roma - Maximum temperatures for 23 and 24 were 12.5 C and 12.2 C with the minimums being the same at 7.7 C.
The places mentioned are not normally associated with maximum daytime temperatures being this low.
Toowoomba - The maximum temperature struggled to reach 10 C on 23/7/08 with the minimum being 7.7 C.
Rockhampton just inside the tropics struggled to reach a maximum of 16.2C with a minimum of 13.3 C (Same day).
Maximum daily temperatures were well below average due to this event.
While this weather event was unfolding in Queensland, I also found out that a cold snap occurring in the Snowy Mountains has delivered the coldest minimum temperatures by a weather station on mainland Australia so far this season at Charlotte Pass being:-
Wednesday 23 being -14C
Thursday 24 being -15.5C
Friday 25 being -15.5C
Overall, it has been a cool to cold 7 days for Eastern Australia and in many places, a wet week.
Harley Pearman
