Darling Downs cops 86mm in an hour as severe storms roll across southeast Queensland

Severe storms and dangerous flash flooding closed a major southeast Queensland highway overnight, with rainfall of up to 86mm in some areas.

HEAVY rain pounded southeast Queensland overnight, with flash flooding closing a major highway amid severe thunderstorm activity across the state.

At 10.11pm, the Bureau of Meteorology said that severe storms with heavy rainfall developed over parts of the Sunshine Coast and the Brisbane area.

The map showing the path of the storms at 10.11pm.

In addition, severe thunderstorms produced damaging winds, heavy rainfall and flash flooding in the Central Coast and Whitsundays and parts of the Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders, Herbert and Lower Burdekin and Central Highlands and Coalfields districts.

Locations affected include Proserpine, Charters Towers, Bowen, Townsville, Collinsville and Hamilton Island.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads shut the Cunningham Highway at Cunninghams Gap due to dangerous flash flooding as heavy rain smashed the region.

The blockage affected areas from Fishers Creek to Lake Moogerah Road and it was unknown when the road would reopen.

Road diversions were in place via Toowoomba as crews cleared debris.

Spicers Gap was hit with 56mm downpour in just half an hour, while 86mm fell at Mt Sylvia earlier on Friday afternoon.

Almost 1,200 customers across the southeast were without power due to the weather.

The main area affected were Sunshine Coast’s Woombye and Nambour.

The wild weather was expected to continue across the southeast and for much of Queensland into the weekend, with rainfall of up to 120mm in some areas.