Severe storm warning issued for parts of North Queensland

A large storm system could deliver strong winds and large hailstones to part of North Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.

THUNDER STRUCK: Storms are expected in Toowoomba later this week.

A LARGE storm system could deliver strong winds and large hailstones to parts of North Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.

The bureau issued a severe thunderstorm warning shortly before 1pm.

Areas which could be affected include Peninsula, North Tropical Coast and Tablelands, Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders and Herbert and Lower Burdekin districts.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds and large hailstones in the warning area over the next several hours.

In Townsville there is a 40 per cent chance of rain and there is a 40 per cent chance of a thunderstorm this evening.

There is a very high chance of rain for the rest of the week, with a 90 per cent chance rain of between 5 to 15mm tomorrow and an 80 per cent chance of more showers on Saturday and Sunday.

Townsville-based Oz Cyclone Chasers said a equatorial trough was set to develop in Northern Australia in the coming days, but with limited cross equatorial flow it will not be a true monsoon.

“However, as days go by a low that develops within this trough to the West of the Top End will slowly change that,” the page said.

“As the low develops it will track southwest towards the WA coastline and bring a deep tropical flow over scorched Kimberley and in particular the Pilbara Region.

“As the tropical low or TC (tropical cyclone) tracks inland in WA, this will allow the developing monsoonal flow to break from the system and surge eastwards towards the Top End and Far North Queensland. This second surge also has the potential to spawn a low although the more likely situation is a monsoonal onset across the North which can’t come soon enough.”

Originally published as Severe storm warning issued for parts of North Queensland