Queensland weather: Fears cyclone could ruin Easter holidays with rain on the way

As many as two cyclones could develop over the Coral Sea, a forecaster warned, after an emergency alert for flash floods was issued for parts of southern Queensland.

A cyclone is likely to form off Australia’s coast this week, raising fears that torrential rain and flooding could ruin families’ plans for the Easter holidays.

As many as two cyclones could develop over the Coral Sea, a forecaster warned, after an emergency alert for flash floods was issued for parts of southern Queensland.

David Taylor, head of Brisbane Weather, said wild weather was inbound - but could not predict when it would strike.

“There will be one, possibly two systems that will develop into a cyclone, it just boils down to timing,” he told the Courier-Mail.

But the Bureau of Meteorology said the cyclone was not likely to reach Australian shores.

“There could be a cyclone by Wednesday or Thursday but it will be in the Fiji waters and far away from us,” forecaster Livio Regano said.

A band of rain & thunderstorms moved through parts of SE #Qld and NE #NSW last night. Showers and storms redeveloping this afternoon with a severe storm warning current. Mostly dry on Tues, with rain developing Wed for parts of eastern NSW and southern Qld. pic.twitter.com/RpbrbRFJ2i

— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) April 4, 2022

A 113mm rain bomb exploded in the Darling Downs region, south of Toowoomba, on Monday morning, triggering multiple highway closures.

Authorities put an emergency alert out for Killarney, Allora, Warwick and Leyburn from the Southern Downs Regional Council on Monday.

Residents were urged to stay off the roads as police shut down the New England Highway, which stretches into the Toowoomba area from NSW, and the Leichhardt Highway due to flash flooding in the area.

The bureau said the Condamine and Balonne rivers peaked at 12m at Chinchilla Weir early on Monday after more than 90mm of rainfall overnight.

The inclement weather follows flooding in Byron Bay and northern New South Wales, after torrential rain battered the region.

Originally published as Queensland weather: Fears cyclone could ruin Easter holidays with rain on the way