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The Bureau of Meteorology has shed some light on the automation of Rockhampton’s field station.
BOM Group Executive Business Solutions Peter Stone said the bureau was in the process of automating 24 field stations, with 20 already automated and Rockhampton the last on the list.
Mr Stone said the reason the field stations were being automated was so they could provide more accurate data, which he said would create better weather forecasts.
“Over the years, the number and accuracy of observations we‘ve taken has increased massively, to the point where today we take in over a billion data points every day that tell us what the weather is doing,” he said.
Central Queensland is in for what will likely be a wetter than average autumn season, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The climate outlook released last week shows from March to May, much of Queensland’s east coast is likely to see more than the median rainfall for that period.
The outlook also shows Autumn nights are likely to be warmer than average, as reflected through large parts of the country.
Bureau climatologist Dr Naomi Benger said while current observations and forecasts showed La Niña had passed its peak, its effects on the Australian climate were likely to persist.
Premium Content A severe storm warning has been issued for Central Queensland for Monday afternoon. The Bureau of Meteorology said a south-easterly wind surge was triggering thunderstorms about the Capricornia region. Slow moving, heavy thunderstorms in a moist and unstable air mass about the northeast of the state, the bureau said in a warning just before 2pm. Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and damaging winds over the next several hours in the Capricornia and parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields and Wide Bay and Burnett districts. Locations which may be affected include Gladstone, Rockhampton, Yeppoon, Marlborough, Byfield, Calliope, Miriam Vale, Mount Morgan and Seventeen Seventy.