BOM forecasts Toowoomba is in for wet spring

Say farewell to cold nights and icy mornings and hello to sunny skies and flowers in bloom. The Bureau of Meteorology say we are in for a lovely spring along with wet weather.

Enjoying the last days of winter are (from left) Ruby-Jean, 9, Florian, 3, and Rosa Phillips, 7 in Queens Park. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Shove your electric blanket in the cupboard, pack away the flannelette sheets and break out the shorts – winter is done for 2021.

Toowoomba residents can expect a solid week of sunny skies, which is just the way we like it.

In good news for gardeners, Bureau of Meteorology climatologists are forecasting a wetter than average spring as well as cooler days and warmer nights.

Bureau climatologist Dr Andrew Watkins said predictions came after a wet and warm winter.

“Nationally, we’ve seen the wettest winter since 2016,” he said.

“Australia’s average winter temperature is also expected to be one of the 10 warmest on record, particularly in the tropical north.”

The main reason behind the forecast was the climate-driving Indian Ocean Dipole.

“We’ve currently got a negative IOD – a phenomenon which typically brings an increased chance of rainfall to southern and eastern Australia,” Dr Watkins said.

“This negative IOD is expected to persist throughout spring but is currently weaker than the last negative IOD event we saw in 2016, which brought Australia’s wettest May-October period on record.”