Wet, chilly weather to impact on North Queensland

Keep your jumper and umbrella handy, because wet and chilly weather is going to stick around in North Queensland. See who got the rain overnight.

Dark clouds gather as Jodie and Jason Shepherd take pup Charlie on his first walk on the Strand. (FILE PHOTO) Picture: Matt Taylor.

A huge cloud band sweeping across Australia has delivered healthy rainfall totals into gauges around the Townsville region, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting more rain to come.

By 9am on Thursday, Picnic Bay had recorded the region’s highest rainfall with 49mm, followed by North Ward 48mm, Garbutt 36mm, Townsville Airport 32mm, Horseshoe Bay 32mm, and Kirwan 22mm.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Helen Reid said the rainfall was travelling eastwards from the Northern Territory and Northwest Western Australia, where it had drawn in a lot of tropical moisture and broken rainfall records earlier this week.

Due to a feature in the upper atmosphere, she said coastal showers were enhanced around Townsville.

“The (cloud band) working its way across Queensland, (we’re) not expecting it to have that same sense of inundation, but still quite noticeable rain in what we would usually consider to be the start of the dry season through these parts,” Ms Reid said.

Satellite image of the cloud band delivering rain across Queensland on Thursday. Picture: BOM.

“We’re expecting to have some showers during the course of Friday … with just a few millimetres in those rain gauges … and then looking at it being clear again in time for the weekend.”

On Friday, wet and cloudy weather was expected to keep a lid on Townsville’s temperatures, with the maximum temperature only getting up to 25C (three degrees below average), and a minium of 18C.

Predicted rainfall for North Queensland on Friday. Picture: BOM.

With Friday’s temperature not expected to exceed 19 degrees, Charters Towers will be chilly, while Ingham’s maximum was 26C, and Ayr 27C.

Looking at the outlook the Townsville region over the winter months, Ms Reid anticipated “fairly regular” weather, and not much rain – typical for the dry season.

Predicted rainfall for Queensland over the next four days. Picture: BOM.

Who got the rain until 9am Thursday

• Picnic Bay 49mm

• North Ward 48mm

• Garbutt 36mm

• Townsville Airport 32mm

• Horseshoe Bay 32mm

• Kirwan 22mm

• The Lakes 21mm

• Vincent 19mm

• Black River 17mm

• Toolakea 14mm

• South Townsville 14mm

• Mysterton 13mm

• Deeagun 12mm

• Pallarenda 12mm

• Annandale 10mm

Twenty four hour rainfall totals for the Townsville region until 9am Thursday. Picture: BOM.

Originally published as Wet, chilly weather to impact on North Queensland