It has been the wettest August on record for parts of the QLD coast, especially between Mackay and Coolangatta. The St Lawrence River region takes the prize for having the highest percentage of the monthly average. August is usually St Lawrence's driest month, with an average of 22.9mm, but reported 145.3mm this August. This is 650% of the average and the wettest August in 141 years of weather records! The unseasonably high rainfall along the QLD coast this August has been due in part due to large and slow moving high pressure systems over the Tasman Sea. These blocking highs steer moist easterly winds across the QLD coast at a time of the year when winds should be much lighter and more often from a westerly and dry direction. Many coastal areas between the Central Coast to the Southeast saw more than double the August rainfall average. Coolangatta was a standout, with 203.6mm for the month. This was the highest August total in the 28 years of records and approaching four times the monthly average of 55mm. Showers are likely during the first week of September, with a renewed burst of wet weather spreading north along the coast during this Friday and Saturday.