Hot, dry, wet, high temps - coming soon!

2:48 AM Tue 2 Dec 2008 GMT

'Storm approaching over the Harbour Bridge' .

While the omnipotent Weather Bureau is predicting a hotter than usual summer for South Australia, Queenslanders should be battening the hatches for a windy, wet and wild summer.

Senior forecaster Brett Gage says Adelaide can expect higher than normal temperatures over the next three months.

'It's likely to exceed the median maximum temperature and in Adelaide there's a 65 per cent chance it'll be warmer than normal and for the minimums it looks like there's only a 50 per cent chance of exceeding the median,' he said.
The outlook also shows the rest of the state will get above average temperatures.

Senior climatologist Darren Ray say while seasonal extremities are hard to predict, February could bring another heatwave. Up north, forecasters warn of above-average rainfall and destructive cyclones for most of Queensland.
The forecast follows the wettest spring and November recorded in Brisbane since 1981.

Forecaster, Jeff Sabburg reported that Brisbane recorded 437.4mm for spring and 326.6mm for November, thanks to heavy storms late in the month.

Tropical storm Kyle - .. .

Brisbane City recorded an average minimum temperature of 19C, above the long-term norm of 18C because of increased cloud cover and high humidity.

In Queensland, spring rain had relieved drought conditions and suppressed a potentially devastating bushfire season. The highest spring rainfall was 1267mm at Bellenden Ker in north Queensland and 706mm at Upper Springbrook on the Gold Coast hinterland.

Weather bureau regional director Jim Davidson said Queensland was more likely than not to get cyclones this season. 'We know it only takes a single land-falling cyclone to cause a disaster and the continuing growth in coastal development is increasing community vulnerability,' Mr Davidson said.

Higher than normal rainfall is expected in northeast NSW and southeast Queensland.

More at www.bom.gov.au

by Jeni Bone