Queensland Logs 450mm Rainfall and 16 Rescues Before New Storms Hit

The Bureau of Meteorology issued warnings for severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, and flash flooding across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania as of this weekend. The agency also maintained nine active flood warnings for southern Queensland. These alerts come as a new system moves through the country, adding moisture to regions that have already received heavy precipitation.

Queensland experienced extreme rainfall earlier this week. Several areas recorded more than double their average October totals within a few days. The Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Caboolture saw seven-day rainfall totals between 300mm and 400mm, with some locations reaching 450mm. Senior meteorologist David Crock noted that the conditions resembled summer patterns typical of January or February rather than the usual weather for late October.

The heaviest rain fell on Thursday, stretching from Caboolture south to the Border Ranges. Some places received well over 200mm in that single period. The downpour triggered flash flooding and led to hundreds of calls for help to the State Emergency Service. Several schools were forced to close on Friday due to the conditions.

Emergency crews responded to the flooding in the north. The Queensland fire department carried out more than 16 swift-water rescues during the event. In one incident, crews used a raft to reach an elderly man who was clinging to the roof of his vehicle at Caboolture. Crock attributed the persistence of the weather to large amounts of moisture drawn into the region, with totals building up over seven to 10 days across Queensland and northern New South Wales.

The weather pattern is expected to shift south this weekend. Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are forecast for central and eastern Queensland on Saturday, including Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast hinterlands, and Roma. Crock stated that there is plenty of rain across the south-east and much of Queensland following the wet week.

Storms may affect parts of Victoria, including Melbourne's eastern suburbs, as well as central and eastern South Australia. In Tasmania, heavy rain is expected to develop overnight into Sunday morning. A cold front is due to cross New South Wales on Sunday, bringing severe thunderstorms to the west of the state, north-eastern Victoria, Sydney, and Brisbane.

Crock said the threat of thunderstorms would extend right across eastern Australia. Severe storms are likely to occur through a wide part of inland eastern Australia as the system moves. The new rain will add to the existing water levels in the states currently under flood warning.