450mm Rainfall Triggers Rescue Efforts in Queensland Ahead of National Storm Front
The Bureau of Meteorology issues severe thunderstorm warnings for four eastern states after Queensland accumulates record-breaking weekly totals.
By Ahmed Peterson ·
Torrential rain has soaked Queensland before a severe storm system reaches the rest of eastern Australia.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued nine flood warnings for southern Queensland and severe thunderstorm alerts for South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania. Senior meteorologist David Crock stated that heavy rain and storms are expected in central and eastern Queensland through Saturday. Specific locations at risk include Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, and the Sunshine Coast hinterlands.
The weather pattern has delivered seven to ten days of persistent moisture to Queensland and northern New South Wales. This accumulation resulted in seven day rainfall totals between 300mm and 400mm in the Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Caboolture. Certain areas recorded a total of 450mm. Crock noted that these conditions resemble January or February rather than October, with several regions receiving more than double their average monthly rainfall.
The peak rainfall occurred on Thursday, when rain stretched from Caboolture south to the Border Ranges. Some locations received over 200mm in a single day. The downpour caused flash flooding and forced the State Emergency Service to handle hundreds of calls for help. Several schools closed on Friday as a result of the conditions.
Emergency crews conducted more than 16 swift water rescues in Queensland. In one incident at Caboolture, firefighters used a raft to reach an elderly man clinging to the roof of his vehicle. The cold front is scheduled to cross New South Wales on Sunday. It will bring severe thunderstorms to the state’s west, north eastern Victoria, Sydney, and Brisbane.
Crock described the threat as extending across the entirety of eastern Australia. Severe storms are likely to impact a wide swath of inland eastern Australia as the front moves south. Parts of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and central South Australia may also experience severe weather. Heavy rain in Tasmania is forecast to develop overnight into Sunday morning.
Source: The Guardian
