Rain system won’t do much for the north but big wet still expected

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The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) says a weather system approaching Queensland from the west won’t bring rain to Far North Queensland.

There were some early showers on Tuesday, raising hopes of rain to refresh parched gardens and vegie patches around the region.

Those showers cleared quickly, and the BoM forecast has just a small chance of isolated showers for coastal areas for the rest of the week.

But in the south of the state, they’re preparing for severe thunderstorms and heavy rain in the coming days, as a series of troughs move into western Queensland from the Northern Territory.

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Storms were reported to be forming in the Channel Country and Central West forecast regions on Tuesday afternoon.

The BoM says the troughs are not likely to affect the Far North, but the longer-term forecast predicts a big wet season for the region.

In its latest tropical climate update, the BoM said current climate conditions favour above-average rainfall for much of northern Australia in the coming months.

It said the rainfall signal for the October–December period is particularly strong, with most of northern Queensland having a greater than 70% chance of above-median rainfall.

A La Niña event is well-established in the Pacific region, bringing a higher chance of cyclone activity and landfall.