Storms Target Eastern Australia After Queensland Floods

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) issued warnings for severe thunderstorms and flash flooding across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania. The agency also maintained nine flood warnings for southern Queensland. This weather system arrives after a week of persistent rainfall in the north of the country.

Senior BoM meteorologist David Crock stated that heavy rain and severe storms were expected in central and eastern Queensland on Saturday. Specific locations under threat include Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast hinterlands, and Roma. Crock noted the region has already experienced a very wet week, with significant moisture drawn in over seven to 10 days across Queensland and northern New South Wales.

The severe weather is expected to expand southward. Parts of Victoria, including Melbourne's eastern suburbs, and central and eastern South Australia may face severe storms. In Tasmania, heavy rain is forecast to develop 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 described the current conditions as typical of summer months such as January or February, rather than the autumn season. Several areas in Queensland received more than double their average October rainfall over a few days. The Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Caboolture recorded seven-day totals between 300mm and 400mm, with some spots reaching 450mm.

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

The Queensland fire department conducted more than 16 swift-water rescues during the week. In one incident, crews used a raft to reach an elderly man who was clinging to the roof of his vehicle in Caboolture. The BoM warned that the threat of thunderstorms would extend right across eastern Australia, with severe storms likely through a wide part of inland eastern Australia.