Across eastern Australia this week, a stubborn tide of October rain has behaved more like a midsummer deluge, pouring over south-east Queensland until the ground could hold no more. At Caboolture, a man clinging to the roof of his car became one face of a region learning how quickly ordinary days can turn to water. Now the weather is moving outward, as storms gather over most of the continent, and the people who live beneath the sky are left to wait and watch what the next front will bring.
Severe Storms and Flash Flooding Forecast Across Much of Australia After Record Queensland Rainfall
Hundreds of SES callouts and more than 16 swift-water rescues in south-east Queensland, including an elderly man rescued from the roof of his vehicle at Caboolture.
Much more typical of summer than this time of year
Mark
Start with the numbers. How wet was this week, really?
Mimi
Caboolture and the Sunshine Coast hinterlands recorded 300 to 400mm over seven days, some places up to 450mm. Several Queensland areas got more than double their usual October rainfall in just a few days.
Mark
And the human side of it?
Mimi
Hundreds of SES callouts, school closures on Friday, and more than 16 swift-water rescues. One was an elderly man on the roof of his vehicle at Caboolture, reached by raft.
Luke
Worth being clear that the 16 is a floor. The report says more than 16, so we don't have a final count of rescues.
Mark
Why does the forecaster stress how long this has lasted?
Mimi
David Crock described moisture pumping in persistently, with totals building over seven to 10 days. The ground is already wet before the next storms arrive.
Luke
That's his read of the pattern, though. The report doesn't say how much of the new rain will hit already flooded catchments.
Mark
So what's expected this weekend?
Mimi
Severe storms Saturday in central and eastern Queensland, parts of Victoria and South Australia, then a cold front across NSW on Sunday, plus heavy rain in Tasmania.
Luke
Those are forecasts, and the report gives no rainfall figures for the southern states. Whether they see flooding like Queensland's is unknown.
Il Polso
- Floodwater rose around an elderly man at Caboolture until rescuers had to reach him by raft from his stranded vehicle.
- More than 16 swift-water rescues and hundreds of State Emergency Service calls have stretched responders across south-east Queensland.
- Schools shut their gates on Friday as rivers sat under warning and nine flood alerts stayed active across south Queensland.
- Some hinterland totals reached 300 to 450mm in seven days, more than double the usual October rain, leaving saturated ground with nowhere to drink.
- A cold front and severe storms are now forecast to cross Victoria, South Australia, NSW and Tasmania through Sunday, and the weekend will decide how much more water the region can absorb.
Across eastern Australia this week, a stubborn tide of October rain has behaved more like a midsummer deluge, pouring over south-east Queensland until the ground could hold no more. At Caboolture, a man clinging to the roof of his car became one face of a region learning how quickly ordinary days can turn to water. Now the weather is moving outward, as storms gather over most of the continent, and the people who live beneath the sky are left to wait and watch what the next front will bring.
On Thursday at Caboolture, firefighters crossed floodwater by raft to reach an elderly man still clinging to the roof of his vehicle. He was one of more than sixteen swift-water rescues carried out that day, in a region that had spent the week under relentless rain.
The downpour stretched from Caboolture south toward the Border Ranges, with some places receiving well over 200mm in a single day. The State Emergency Service fielded hundreds of calls, several schools closed on Friday, and by Saturday morning nine flood warnings were in force across south Queensland.
The totals were extraordinary for October. Parts of the Sunshine Coast hinterland and Caboolture recorded 300 to 450mm over seven days, and several areas received more than twice their usual monthly rain within days. Senior meteorologist David Crock described a week that felt far more like January or February than spring, fed by a large pulse of moisture that had settled over Queensland and northern New South Wales.
The weather is now spreading. Severe storms and heavy rain are forecast across most Australian states this weekend, reaching central and eastern Queensland on Saturday and then sweeping a cold front across NSW, Victoria, Sydney and Brisbane on Sunday. For south-east Queensland, where the ground is already saturated and rivers remain under warning, the open question is how much more water the region can take, and the bureau's updated warnings will show where the storms land.
On Thursday, at Caboolture in south-east Queensland, firefighters used a raft to reach an elderly man who was clinging to the roof of his vehicle as floodwater rose around him. His rescue was one of more than 16 swift-water rescues carried out by the Queensland fire department that day, in a region that has spent the week under relentless rain.
The torrential falls on Thursday stretched from Caboolture south to the Border Ranges, and some places recorded well over 200mm. The flash flooding brought water rescues and hundreds of calls for help to the State Emergency Service. Several schools were forced to close on Friday. By Saturday morning, the Bureau of Meteorology had nine flood warnings in place for south Queensland.
The totals over the week were extraordinary for October. The Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Caboolture were hit by flash flooding and recorded seven-day rainfall of 300 to 400mm, with some areas reaching 450mm. Multiple parts of Queensland received more than twice their average October rainfall within a few days. David Crock, a senior meteorologist at the bureau, said it was an incredibly wet week, much more typical of summer, of January or February, than of this time of year.
Crock pointed to how persistent the pattern had been. A large amount of moisture had been pumped into the region, he said, and rainfall totals had then accumulated over seven to 10 days across Queensland and northern New South Wales.
The bureau now expects the wet weather to spread well beyond Queensland. Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are forecast across most Australian states this weekend, with warnings covering South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania. On Saturday, severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are forecast for several locations in central and eastern Queensland, including Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Roma. Severe storms could also hit parts of Victoria, including Melbourne's eastern suburbs, and central and eastern South Australia. Heavy rain is expected to develop in Tasmania overnight into Sunday morning.
On Sunday, a cold front will move across NSW, bringing severe thunderstorms to the west of the state as well as to north-eastern Victoria, Sydney and Brisbane. Crock said the threat of thunderstorms on Sunday covered the whole of eastern Australia, with severe storms likely across a wide part of inland eastern Australia. There would be plenty of rain across the south-east, he said, along with showers and storms across much of Queensland after what had already been a really wet week.
For south-east Queensland, where the ground is already saturated and rivers are under warning, the question over the weekend is how much more water the region has to absorb. The bureau's warnings, updated through Saturday and Sunday, will show where the storms land.
Citazioni salienti
Tomorrow is a threat for thunderstorms right across eastern Australia, with severe thunderstorms likely through a wide part of inland eastern Australia.— David Crock, senior meteorologist, Bureau of Meteorology
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su The Guardian ↗
Climate & Environment