Torrential rain lashes east coast of Australia as more wild weather forecast
Flash flooding, heavy rain and severe thunderstorms are battering much of the east coast of Australia, with emergency services warning conditions are expected to worsen.
Intense rainfall has lashed parts of Queensland and New South Wales with Dubbo recording 40.2mm of rain in 30 minutes.
Flash flooding warnings were issued for multiple areas in NSW, including for the Northern Inland and Upper Hunter.
The State Emergency Service has already received more than 250 calls for assistance and are bracing for more demand as the rain intensifies.
“We’re expecting that number to increase quite significantly as the rainfall sets in overnight and into the early hours of morning,” SES assistant commissioner Dean Storey told ABC News.
“The key focus will be that northern rivers including Lismore and Ballina area, we’re expecting heavy, potentially torrential rainfall tonight [and] into the early hours of tomorrow morning, creating a high-risk of flash flooding and potentially life-threatening flash flooding.”
Storey urged residents to “never drive through flood waters” and to ensure they have a plan in place if they live in flood-prone regions.
“Know your local risk, if you live in a flood-prone area, have a plan in place. If you need to evacuate, know what to do and where you would go ahead of time.”
Winds of up to 104km/h were recorded in Tibooburra on Thursday afternoon, with a warning for damaging winds issued for parts of the Lower Western and Upper Western districts.
Catchments in the northern and central tablelands and north-west slopes have been issued a flood watch, including potential minor to moderate flooding on the Namoi River and moderate to major flooding on the Upper Macintyre River.
The bureau is also predicting severe thunderstorms across a large part of Queensland, with Queensland Fire and Emergency warning “we’re going to cop some form of wild weather today”.
Mt Stradbroke recorded 46mm of rain in 30 minutes, as severe thunderstorms continue to affect central, souther and south-eastern Queensland.
BoM issued a fresh warning of heavy rainfall and possible flooding for southern Queensland, particularly for communities, like Goondiwindi, close to the NSW border on Thursday afternoon.
The dangerous weather is the result of a low pressure system moving eastwards from South Australia across NSW, a trough moving south from Queensland, and an “extremely moist air mass” from the tropics, which are predicted to combine to deliver intense localised rainfall in some areas.
In NSW, northern parts of the northwest slopes and plains, and the northern tablelands, are expected to experience the most severe rain and flooding, with six hourly totals exceeding 100mm.
Damaging to destructive winds are also predicted for late Thursday.
Areas around the Gwydir River, which is predicted to deliver major flooding, received huge falls on Wednesday, with 94mm recorded at Delungra and 76mm near Narrabri in the north-west slopes.
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BoM senior meteorologist Jane Golding said that’s more rain than Narrabri would typically receive for all of November.
In Queensland, major flooding is predicted for the Darling Downs and Granite Belt areas, while severe thunderstorms are expected across much of the rest of the state.
In the 24 hours to Thursday afternoon, Weringa Creek recorded 96mm of rain, while 91mm fell in Stanthorpe. BoM warned six-hourly rainfall totals could reach 150mm in these areas on Thursday.
Parts of Victoria and SA are also likely to experience heavy rain and damaging winds on Thursday.
“Severe thunderstorms may also develop and produce localised INTENSE RAINFALL which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding,” BoM’s warning said for both NSW and Queensland.
BoM meteorologist Jonathan How said “rain around the Queensland-NSW border has already triggered river rises and flood warnings are current” and that “these will evolve as more rainfalls and water flows downstream”.
How also warned that damaging winds predicted as part of the thunderstorms will have the potential to down trees.
The SES has already been called out for six flood rescues. While most requests for assistance were from people in the north-eastern part of the state, there were also storm-related calls from Sydney.
Earlier, SES deputy commissioner Daniel Austin said the SES was “heartened” by an incident near Narrabri on Wednesday afternoon that showed people were heeding repeated warnings not to drive through flood waters.
About 5.30pm an empty school bus and three 4WDs, including one with children inside, were caught on a road between two creeks that had risen quickly.
“Those people stayed in place and chose not to drive through those flood waters,” Austin said.
“They called emergency services and we worked together to get those people out … that’s a really positive outcome that highlights what you can do and what you shouldn’t do: driving through flood waters.”
A rescue took place near Bingara about midnight, with four SES crews ferrying up to 30 visitors at a flooded caravan park out of danger, Austin said.
“This is a fast-moving event in places, the risk is not just from the long, slow rainfall, but these sharp short thunderstorms,” Austin says.
“People across NSW have had a couple days of warning … we’re asking people across the whole state to take that into account and be prepared,” he said.