Storms head south after Queensland soaks up 450mm of rain

A new system of severe thunderstorms is expected to traverse most Australian states this weekend, adding to the heavy rainfall already saturating Queensland. The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued warnings for severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, and flash flooding in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania. Simultaneously, nine flood warnings remain active for southern Queensland.

Senior BoM meteorologist David Crock stated that severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are forecast for several locations in central and eastern Queensland on Saturday. These areas include Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast hinterlands, and Roma. Crock noted that the south-east will receive substantial rain alongside widespread showers across Queensland, following a week of intense precipitation. He described the situation as having plenty of rain across the south-east and much of Queensland after an exceptionally wet week.

The storm system will also impact parts of Victoria, including Melbourne's eastern suburbs, as well as central and eastern South Australia. In Tasmania, heavy rain is expected to intensify overnight into Sunday morning. A cold front is scheduled to cross New South Wales on Sunday, bringing severe thunderstorms to the western part of the state, north-eastern Victoria, Sydney, and Brisbane. Crock indicated that the threat of thunderstorms would extend across eastern Australia, with severe storms likely in a wide area of inland eastern Australia.

This forecast follows a week of extreme rainfall in Queensland where several areas received more than double their average October rainfall within days. Crock explained that the conditions were more typical of summer months like January or February than of late October. The Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Caboolture experienced flash flooding with seven-day rainfall totals between 300mm and 400mm, with some areas reaching 450mm. He attributed this to a persistent weather pattern that drew in large amounts of moisture, building totals over seven to 10 days across Queensland and northern New South Wales.

The heaviest rainfall occurred on Thursday, when torrential rain stretched from Caboolture south to the Border Ranges. Some locations received well over 200mm, causing flash flooding, water rescues, and hundreds of calls for help to the State Emergency Service. Several schools were forced to close on Friday in response to the conditions.

Emergency services responded to the flooding with specific rescue operations. The Queensland fire department carried out more than 16 swift-water rescues. In one incident, crews used a raft to reach an elderly man who was clinging to the roof of his vehicle in Caboolture.