NOVEMBER RAIN IS OFF THE CHARTS
CITY officials are on high alert for rising rivers and creeks after an additional 40mm soaking was forecast for an already sodden Gold Coast on Wednesday.
Roads are flooded and residents have been warned to “remain vigilant” after downpours earlier this week of up to 100mm were recorded across the South East.
It is one of the wettest Novembers on record for the Gold Coast, with 242.4mm of rain this month, compared with a minuscule 19.4mm in 2020. The record was in 2008 with a whopping 440.6mm.
Flooding has continued across typical problem areas, including Tallebudgera Valley and Willow Vale, where according to council road closures remain in place from the weekend on Ruffles Rd and Tallebudgera Creek Rad.
Hardys Road in Bonogin was closed due to flooding around midday on Tuesday.
Gold Coast City Council director transport and infrastructure Alton Twine said on Tuesday the disaster centre had not been activated, but was on alert.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation and are closely looking at the rain gauges, creeks and flooded road crossings,” he said.
“Residents of the city need to be aware that it’s going to be a wet couple of days.
“The old adage that is true today if it ever is, if it’s flooded, forget it.”
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Helen Reid said Wednesday’s rain would be more consistent, with showers and possible thunderstorms continuing across the South East
over the course of the morning. “However, the risk of heavy falls should ease later in the afternoon as the upper trough moves offshore,” she said.
A flood watch was also issued for the Tweed and Northern Rivers region. Across the state, several suburbs have seen the wettest November on record, with Maryborough, Mundubbera, Mount
Joseph and Melmoth receiving some of the highest rain levels in more than a century.
BOM reported showers and thunderstorms would contract to eastern and northern Queensland on Thursday, slowly extending across much of the state over the next few days, with lower rainfall totals expected.