Maleny Weather

The catastrophic Chile earthquake on Sunday 28^th was followed by a Pacific tsunami warning being issued by Hawaiian control centre. The likelihood of a tsunami reaching our coastline was minimal but even so, as a precautionary measure, all east coast beaches were closed, especially to swimmers, surfers and anglers.  However, despite all efforts by police and lifeguards it was difficult to enforce the order to the dismay of authorities and many swimmers and surfers were foolishly waiting for the ‘big one’.

The past week has again been the wet and muggy and we recorded 282mm of rain, with the heaviest falls occurring during the 48 hour period from 9am Monday when a total of 173 mm was measured. It has been an interesting week for meteorologists when three weather systems interacted with one another. The cause for some of our drenching was from a deep monsoonal low in a trough extending across southern Queensland bringing torrential rain and flash floods to the region. Winds were light and movement of the low was slow until Tuesday morning when an east coast low developed close to Fraser Island to intensify rainstorm activity. Winds increased to gale force due to the steep pressure gradient between the high in the Tasman Sea and the ‘east coast low’ off Fraser Island.

On Saturday 6^th March we had another deluge when 109mm fell in a  space of  18hours, causing flash flooding in many areas. The Baroon Pocket dam is full to capacity and closed to both swimmers and boaters.

The summer season has come to an end. It was a wet one with over 900 mm of rain over the three months. However, it was not as wet as the summer of 2008 when Maleny recorded rainfall of 1,213 mm.

February is usually the wettest month of the year and it is no surprise that it rained on 22 days this month.  Total February rainfall was 601.4 mm, well above the 117 year average of 332 mm.  Previous record rainfall occurred in 2003 with 783 mm. It was also wet in 1999 with 880 mm. This was when 630 mm fell in four days, and brought the Obi-Obi up to the height of the library boardwalk. It also contributed in no small way to the flooding of town centres at Gympie and Maryborough.

Most of the rain we have had this month came from an active monsoonal trough line with a   tendency to track south and interact with a high pressure system extending from a high over the south Tasman Sea..

Mean temperature for the month was up by two degrees from the norm of 20°C, while relative humidity was in the range of 85 and 95 per cent. There were ten days when the THSW Stress factor measured 35°C and over, similar to last year.

Monday was hot and muggy with a northerly moist air stream raising afternoon temperature to over 31°C, and overnight temperatures to four degrees above the norm.

A southeast change came through on Tuesday with a thunderstorm at 2.00pm clearing the stifling air with torrential rain. In fact, we had 42 mm in 45 minutes. The greatest rate of fall was 130mm per hour, enough to trigger off the MWS flash flood warning alarm system.  24 hour rain to 9.00am Wednesday was 139.2mm, bringing the total rainfall to date this month to 481.2, representing 151mm over and above the 117 year average for Maleny. Creeks are again in full spate and local dams are filled to capacity.

The southerly airflow continued over the next few days bringing stream showers on to the Blackall Ranges and a return to normal temperatures

Here are some examples of where industries are getting results through the direct application of weather forecasts:

Retailers are using weather to plan more effective merchandising campaigns and stock control

Construction companies are using weather to schedule labour and weather sensitive activities

Transport companies of all types are using weather to schedule drivers and assess time delays

Energy companies are using weather to determine energy demand

Manufacturing companies are using weather to forecast production – where weather has a direct effect on the manufacturing process

Tourism operators are using weather so they can plan tourist activities

Film companies use weather to plan film shoots

Farmers and growers use weather to plan daily activities

These are just a few examples of how weather knowledge can reduce the impact of weather, enabling better use of resource and increasing company profits as a result.

 After weeks of muggy weather with high humidity and temperatures four degrees above normal the thunderstorm at 2.00pm on Tuesday brought some welcome relief by clearing the stifling air with  torrential rain. In fact, we had 42 mm in 45 minutes. The greatest rate of fall was 130mm per hour, enough to trigger off the MWS flash flood warning alarm system.  24 hour rain to 9.00am Wednesday was 139.2mm, bringing the total rainfall to date this month to 481.2, representing 151mm over and above the 117 year average for Maleny. Creeks are again in full spate and dams are filled to capacity.