Queensland Floods and Cold Front Threaten Eastern States
Bureau of Meteorology warns of severe storms in four states after Queensland records up to 450mm of rain in seven days.
By Larissa Shah ·
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued flood warnings for southern Queensland and severe thunderstorm alerts for South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania. Nine active flood warnings remain in place for the southern part of Queensland. These warnings come after a week of heavy rainfall that has saturated the ground across the state.
David Crock, a senior meteorologist at the BoM, stated that the weather pattern is unusual for October. He noted that the conditions resemble those typically seen in January or February. The agency expects severe thunderstorms and heavy rain to affect central and eastern Queensland on Saturday. Specific locations at risk include Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast hinterlands, and Roma.
The storm system will move south over the weekend. A cold front is scheduled to cross New South Wales on Sunday. This front will bring severe thunderstorms to the western parts of the state, north-eastern Victoria, Sydney, and Brisbane. Parts of Melbourne's eastern suburbs and central and eastern South Australia may also experience severe storms. Tasmania is expected to see heavy rain develop overnight into Sunday morning.
Rainfall totals in Queensland have reached extreme levels in recent days. Some areas in the Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Caboolture recorded seven-day totals between 300mm and 400mm. Crock indicated that certain spots reached 450mm. The heaviest rain fell on Thursday, when torrential downpours stretched from Caboolture south to the Border Ranges. Some locations received well over 200mm in that single period.
The persistent moisture has led to flash flooding and emergency responses. The State Emergency Service received hundreds of calls for help. Several schools closed on Friday due to the weather. The Queensland fire department conducted more than 16 swift-water rescues. In one incident in Caboolture, crews used a raft to reach an elderly man who was holding onto the roof of his vehicle.
Crock described the weather as a prolonged event rather than a single day's storm. Large amounts of moisture have drawn into the region, building totals over seven to 10 days across Queensland and northern New South Wales. The BoM predicts the threat of thunderstorms will extend across eastern Australia, with severe storms likely in a wide area of inland eastern Australia.
