Climate

• Rainfall
• Temperature
• Water balance

Rainfall

Rainfall in the province is influenced by the northern Australia summer monsoon and linked with the El Nino and La Nina climate patterns.  Summer rainfall (and consequent winter drought) is associated with the northern regions of the Lake Eyre Basin and heavy rains produce flooding which flows downstream into arid areas.

The areas of the province in central Australia are arid desert systems.  Rainfall is more variable along the northern and eastern boundaries, though conditions are still primarily dry.  Areas located in the north-east of the province receive the highest annual mean precipitation.  This is demonstrated by the Bulloo catchment, in the south-east of the province, which is categorised as hot and persistently dry with grasslands to its north and arid desert at its southern end (NAMS, 2007).

A central-west to north-east gradient exists for annual mean precipitation, ranging from dry to moderate.  The driest quarter mean precipitation forms three bands, ranging from dry to moist in an easterly direction.

As expected with the scarcity of widespread rainfall, the potential for rainfall induced soil loss (Stein, 2005) is very low throughout the province.

Information about Rainfall

Information about methods

State Rainfall Map

Temperature

The central zone of the province is hot, arid desert with temperatures more variable along the northern and eastern margins of the province.  Three broad bands of differing temperatures are represented amongst the annual mean averages.  These divisions are roughly influenced by dry grassland areas to the east of the province and the hot deserts of the interior.  Warmer temperatures occur in the north-west in contrast to the cooler temperatures toward the south-east of the province.  The highest weekly mean maximum temperatures show that hot temperatures are widespread, the hottest temperatures occurring in the arid inland northern and western regions of the province.  Temperatures become cooler towards the east, especially along the north-eastern margins of the province.  The lowest temperatures in the province are experienced at the eastern most point, just below latitude 24^o S.  This same location contains the largest temperature differences for the province.  There is likely to be more pronounced seasonality in the south-east area where there are larger temperature differentials.

Information about temperature

Information about methods

State Temperature Map

Water balance

Mean annual runoff in the province is negligible (0.07 mm) and the lowest amongst Queensland’s FBPs.  Historically most rainfall which occurred across the province was lost as evaporation.

Information about climate

Information about methods