Queensland weather: Tropical Cyclone Linda downgraded as system tracks toward coast

Tropical Cyclone Linda has been downgraded to a subtropical low, but south-east Queensland residents are still bracing for gale-force winds, abnormally high tides and dangerous surf as the system continues to approach the coast.

Linda developed from a tropical low in the Coral Sea about 3:00pm AEST on Tuesday, despite the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) earlier saying a cyclone system was unlikely.

But by 10:00am on Wednesday, the BOM said Linda was no more.

Although the system is not expected to cross the coast, senior forecaster Rick Threlfall said it would still pack a punch.

Read the ABC News story - “Queensland weather: Tropical Cyclone Linda downgraded as system tracks toward coast.”

Coral Sea tropical low 'unlikely' to intensify into cyclone, but heavy weather still on the way

A tropical low in the Coral Sea is continuing to move towards Queensland's south-east, but the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says it is unlikely to intensify into a cyclone.

Mike McMaster and Max Wilson head into the surf on
the Sunshine Coast which has wild winds expected.

But gale-force winds and dangerous surf are still expected to impact the southern coastline from Wednesday.

The system is about 1,300 kilometres north-east of the Sunshine Coast and will keep tracking south on Tuesday, but is not expected to cross the coast.

On Tuesday afternoon, BOM forecaster Dean Narramore said winds would pick up on Tuesday night around the Fraser Island coast area.

Read the ABC News story - “Coral Sea tropical low 'unlikely' to intensify into cyclone, but heavy weather still on the way.”

Clean up begins in Giru as record flood recedes, homes spared from inundation

The clean-up is under way as record flooding from the Haughton River clears from roads and properties in Giru, south-east of Townsville.

Giru resident Rodney Jackson cleaning up as
floodwaters recede in the north Queensland town.

Roads to the town were cut as the Haughton reached a record peak of 3.1 metres late on Thursday.

Local State Emergency Service (SES) controllers said no homes were flooded, although floodwaters did reach up to a metre in some parts of the town, with many backyards and car ports flooded.

The local SES and fire station had half a metre of floodwater through their offices.

Read the ABC News story - “Clean up begins in Giru as record flood recedes, homes spared from inundation.”

Victoria weather: Why south-east Australia is expecting a tropical deluge

South-east Australia is bracing for more than a quarter of a metre of rain in a single weekend, a tropical downpour part of the same extraordinary weather system that has brought heatwaves from Melbourne to Hobart and cool, wet weather in Queensland.

Three weeks ago a high-pressure system settled between Australia and New Zealand.

Normally high-pressure systems clear within the week, but forecasters such as the Bureau of Meteorology's Dr Blair Trewin watched in amazement as the system refused to budge.

"It is very unusual to have such a blocked situation, particularly in spring. It is something you see more often in late summer or early autumn," Dr Trewin said.

"But even then it would be unusual to have something last this long.”

Meteorologists call these slow-moving systems 'blocking highs' because they block fresh weather coming through.

Read the ABC News story by Kate Doyle and Ben Deacon - “Victoria weather: Why south-east Australia is expecting a tropical deluge.”

Global hot spot: Exceptional heat pushes up ocean temperatures off Australia

Australia is home to a global hot spot for sea-surface temperatures, with a record burst of prolonged heat in the country's south-east helping to make conditions several degrees warmer than average.

Daily weather charts generated by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show the unusual warmth is almost unmatched around the world, compared with normal temperatures.

Only patches off Greenland and New York in the US are as abnormally warm compared with long-run averages. (See chart below.)

"It's clear sea-surface temperatures around south-eastern Australia, and Tasmania in particular, are well above average," Blair Trewin, senior climatologist for the Bureau of Meteorology, told Fairfax Media.

Read Peter Hannam’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Global hot spot: Exceptional heat pushes up ocean temperatures off Australia.”