Queensland Records 450mm Rainfall Ahead of Weekend Storm Front
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued flood warnings for southern Queensland as a cold front prepares to move east.
By Jason Kovalenko ·
Queensland emergency crews carried out more than 16 swift-water rescues this week, including a raft operation at Caboolture to reach an elderly man clinging to the roof of his vehicle. The rescues followed days of heavy rain that caused flash flooding across the state's south-east.
Rain gauges in the Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Caboolture measured seven-day totals ranging from 300mm to 450mm. The Bureau of Meteorology has nine flood warnings active for southern Queensland. Senior meteorologist David Crock said several locations in central and eastern Queensland, including Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Roma, could see severe thunderstorms and heavy rain on Saturday.
The heaviest downpours fell Thursday, when rain stretched from Caboolture south to the Border Ranges and some gauges exceeded 200mm in a single day. The deluge forced several schools to close Friday and generated hundreds of calls to the State Emergency Service. Crock said the pattern that produced the rain, which pulled in large amounts of moisture over seven to 10 days across Queensland and northern New South Wales, is more typical of January or February than October.
The Bureau has also issued severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. Severe storms may affect Melbourne's eastern suburbs and central and eastern South Australia. Heavy rain is expected in Tasmania overnight into Sunday morning.
A cold front is scheduled to cross New South Wales on Sunday, bringing severe thunderstorms to western New South Wales, north-eastern Victoria, Sydney and Brisbane. Crock said the storm threat extends across eastern Australia, with severe conditions likely through a large part of inland eastern Australia. Several areas in Queensland received more than double their average October rainfall over a few days.
The Bureau of Meteorology's warnings cover South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, with nine flood warnings active for southern Queensland as of Friday.
