A band of heavy rains and thunderstorms is expected to break a dry spell across Queensland this week, where the driest start to any month in three years has been recorded in many parts of the state.
The Weather Channel expects a low pressure trough stretching from New South Wales to the Northern Territory to intensify as it tracks east and moves across Queensland.
It is forecasting rain to start developing by Wednesday and to build up on Thursday, with storms expected to deliver between 50-100mm in places.
Brisbane has measured no rain in its official gauges for 21 days, which constitutes a record dry spell for the start of November since records were first kept in the 1840s.
Chief Meteorologist at The Weather Channel Dick Whitaker said much of the rain in the past week had been concentrated in north-east New South Wales.
“From Wednesday onwards however, a deepening low-pressure trough and moist onshore winds will allow showers and thunderstorms to form over much of Queensland.”
The system is likely to be slow moving, which means that rainfall totals will continue to accumulate over the coming days.
The heavy rains will be especially helpful to areas like the Channel Country and the Marranoa and Warrego forecast districts, ending the fire danger situation for the near future.
“Although the rains will likely be a welcome sight given the extended dry spell, the heavy rains may also see river rises in affected areas, triggering concerns for possible flooding,” Mr Whitaker warned.
The same system brought torrential rainfall to the NT over the weekened, with intense thunderstodms recorded from Alice Springs to Darwin.
Daly Waters easily took the award for the wettest place, copping an astonishing 116.2mm in just 24 hours to 9am on Sunday.
That was its heaviest daily total for November in 105 years and took the monthly rainfall total for Daly Waters so far to a whopping 201.2mm, making it the wettest November here since 1896, according to The Weather Channel.
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