Qld weather: Severe storm warning blankets state’s south

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for large tracts of southern and southwest Queensland.

The storm warning took in a large swath of southern and southwest Queensland. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning on Friday afternoon as peak cyclone conditions put northern communities at risk.

The Bureau of Meteorology said residents about Roma, Biloela, Rolleston, Baralaba, Springsure and Carnarvon National Park should prepare for damaging wind gusts and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding.

They also said large hailstones and damaging winds may impact the warning area over Friday evening.

The Bureau said Downfall Creek recored 41mm of rainfall in the hour to 5.45pm and Sardine Creek recorded 35mm in the 30 minutes to 5.45pm.

Weather bureau senior meteorologist Falim Hannify said the weekend storm risk was mostly centred at the southern interior and was possibly severe in the Maranoa and Warrego.

“On Saturday there’s a chance of showers for the Southeast coast about the border ranges over the weekend but the storm risk is further west with most of the thunderstorm activity over the Darling Downs.”

Mr Hannify predicted that Sunday will see scattered showers and thunderstorms over the southern interior and inland Southeastern Queensland, with isolated showers for more coastal regions.

For the northern parts of the state conditions were primed for cyclones as above average sea temperatures combined with the tail end of the third La Nina in a row.

A tropical low was located well away from the Queensland coast on Friday afternoon and was expected to be east of the Australian region overnight but Queenslanders are safe from it for now.

“There will be no significant impact from any of the developments, maybe just drabs of increased easterly swells off the Southeast,” said Mr Hannify.

“With the tropical low over Coral Sea near New Caledonia at the moment, the chances of a cyclone developing have actually lowered it’s now a medium risk.”

The Bureau’s Tropical Cyclone seasonal outlook said that despite fewer tropical cyclones in recent years, Australia has never had a season without at least one tropical cyclone crossing the coast, since records began in the early 1970s.

“This season there is a greater than 70 per cent chance of an above average number of tropical cyclones in the Eastern Region.”

“On average, 4 tropical cyclones form in the Eastern Region every season, with one crossing the coast,” it continued.