Longreach BoM radar offline for second time in six weeks

Technicians were working to rectify a fault with the power supply to the automated weather station on Monday, as the agency issued warnings that supercell thunderstorms capable of destructive winds were developing over the northern Channel Country.

"This is a big weather event," Cr Nunn said. "People use technology and rely on it."

She said the latest outage had begun last Wednesday.

BoM weather services manager Richard Wardle they were hoping to fix the fault before a possible rain event arrived in the region later in the week.

That was expected to begin on Tuesday and go into Wednesday, but already on Monday afternoon the bureau was broadcasting warnings for a number of supercells that had developed along a stationary front linked to ex-tropical cyclone Trevor.

Locations listed in the firing line included Windorah, Boulia, Stonehenge, Adavale, Glenormiston, Jundah, Davenport Downs Station and Brighton Downs.

Residents were warned that severe thunderstorms were likely to produce destructive winds and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours.

The bureau said the threat for supercell development was likely to continue for the remainder of the afternoon before merging into a extensive band of moderate to heavy rain.

The lack of radar facilities at Longreach was frustrating many users, coming on top of a similar outage in early February during the disastrous wind and rain event that killed thousands of livestock.

At that time, Flinders Shire Council mayor Jane McNamara said the technical difficulties that put the Longreach radar offline, coupled with no weather station in the mid-west of the state meant they had no warning as to how much rain was on the way then.

"We were right on the outer edge of Longreach and Townsville; there is no radar in the area at all that we can use with any accuracy," Cr McNamara said.

Longreach mayor Ed Warren said he had alerted Longreach police inspector Julia Cook to the need to get some action from the bureau in advance of the anticipated rain.

By chance, Disaster Recovery Coordinator Stuart Smith was in Longreach as well, meaning a number of people were aware of the region's dilemma, Cr Warren said.

"Not being able to make decisions about keeping the SES on standby, these sorts of things - we have to rely on social media to tell us what's going on," he said.

"Any time they predict 80-90mm for a few days in a row, it's a major concern for us if there's no radar."

According to Mr Wardle, this latest outage was a separate issue and not related to February's technical issues.

On Monday evening the bureau was not able to say what had caused that outage or how long it had lasted.

Cr Nunn questioned whether the technical difficulties would have lasted as long if the Longreach station were still manned.

It was automated at the beginning of June 2017, the last of many destaffed as part of a restructure to upgrade technology across Australia.

Charleville, Emerald, and Weipa are also unmanned.

Mr Wardle said that although the station at Longreach was offline, meteorologists could issue warnings based on data from other stations.

"And we use satellite imagery as well - that's how we picked up the supercell formation," he said.

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advised that people in affected areas should: