Dry, hot summer puts dams at risk

Carly Rees | 26th November 2009

THE National Climate Centre for Queensland has predicted a drier and hotter-than-usual summer with the possibility of threatening dam levels.

Warwick residents Peter Degoumois, Mitchell Munro and Lachlan Slade make use of the lowering Leslie Dam.

A DRIER and warmer summer outlook has been predicted by the National Climate Centre for Queensland with the possibility of threatening dam levels.

As of yesterday Leslie Dam was down 168ML since October and according to a Climate Services spokeswoman with drier and warmer weather predicted a higher evaporation rate could be expected.

This hasn’t put a dampener on fun at Leslie Dam with Peter Degoumois, Mitchell Munro and Lachlan Slade enjoying a day at the dam with friends yesterday despite weaving through the weed around the edges.

In the last week of spring the temperatures will be around the mid-thirties with Friday expected to be 34 degrees with increasing warmer weather into the weekend.

On Saturday afternoon a trough will move through the area bringing increasing instability with showers and storms predicted.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Michelle Berry said Sunday was expected to bring drier weather with a south-westerly wind pushing through which could cause high to severe fire conditions.

The last recorded dam levels was for the end of October with Connelly Dam at 93.82 per cent and Storm King Dam at 91 per cent. Leslie Dam was at 12 per cent which was updated yesterday.