Cairns autumn could be warmer, wetter and maybe a cyclone
As the state’s south suffers from rain and flooding, the Cairns region is predicted to slide into autumn on Tuesday with no reprieve from the sweltering heat.
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AFTER a sunbaked summer during which only one-third of the city’s usual rain levels fell, Mother Nature might not grant an immediate autumn reprieve from the sweltering heat.
Temperatures of up to 34C could be in store for the first day of the new season, along with a 40 per cent chance of rain showers and the potential for an afternoon thunderstorm, according to forecasters.
A little under 630mm of rain fell on the city between December and February – just over 400mm less than the mean total.
The March to May maximum and minimum temperatures were likely to be warmer than average for the tropical north, heavily influenced by La Nina, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The chance of a March cyclone is a possibility due to a surge of cross-equatorial winds, creating monsoonal conditions and widespread enhanced tropical weather developing around Australia’s north.
Meteorologist Jackson Browne said Far North Queensland could experience a cyclone by April 30, but the right ingredients needed to be in the mix for it to happen.
“There’s a 66 per cent chance of an above average number of cyclones occurring in Far North Queensland before the end of the wet season,” he said.
“But just because it’s warm and wet doesn’t mean there will be more cyclones, you need more ingredients to line up in space and time.”
Mr Browne said weather models indicated multiple tropical lows could develop offshore in the coming week.
“A potential cyclone low that was sitting up near Cape York and the Torres Strait has jetted off into the Coral Sea,” he said.
“It’s now moved across towards Fiji and New Caledonia.”
Cairns mum Nicole Jennings said while the weather was steamy, her kids would play outside.
Ms Jennings, 31, said she and her children Drake Hill, 9 and Bodhi Hill, 4, will still be enjoying their usual summer activities throughout March, April and May.
“We like to go out and explore the local creeks and gorges as well as going to places like Goomboora Park Adventure Playground,” she said.
“And Drake and Bodhi love to go for a swim in their grandma’s pool, for them swimming is an all-year-round activity.”
Ms Jennings said she and her eldest son were also looking forward to playing rugby league – and she hoped autumn temperatures would offer a slight reprieve from the summer heat.
“Drake plays for Edmonton Storm and I play for the Kangaroos,” she said.
“We are in the pre-season at the moments and it’s so hot, you really have to keep hydrated.”
The summer rainfall for Cairns this year has been below average.
The mean rainfall in December is 182.1mm, in January it is 402.4mm and in February it is 441.8mm.
But the rainfall in December 2021 was 117.2mm and in January 2022 it was 375mm and 127.2mm in February 2022.
Your summer rainfall
Cairns
Dec 117.2mm
Jan 375mm
Feb 127.2mm
Atherton
Dec 167.5mm
Jan 333.6mm
Feb 191.4mm
Innisfail
Dec 112.4mm
Jan 630.1mm
Feb 348.4mm
Mareeba
Dec 169.2mm
Jan 393mm
Feb 143mm
Port Douglas
Dec 304.8mm
Jan 410.3mm
Feb 158mm.
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