Qld weather: South Burnett towns picking up pieces after weeks of storms

South Burnett locals have been left reeling and businesses closed for weeks after ongoing storms have inundated towns that normally don’t flood, causing huge damage and heartache.

A flooded street in Kingaroy where businesses are still cleaning up after weeks of storms. Photo: Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce

South Burnett locals have been left reeling and businesses closed for weeks after “unprecedented” storms and “above-average” rainfall smashed the region.

Residents have stressed the unusual amount of storms they have seen during December and January, which have left many feeling worried and stressed about their safety.

Homes have been destroyed by fallen gumtrees and businesses left to clean up floodwater weeks after storms hit.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Patch Clapp said the South Burnett region had seen “above-average” rainfall throughout this wet season.

Roads and bridges around the South Burnett have been left damaged by the ongoing wet weather. Picture: Ben Elais

“That rainfall indicator certainly through the South Burnett has indicated that December and the start of January so far has been above average for that rainfall,” the meteorologist said.

“There was that storm overnight, not as severe with the wind gusts, but they did still see a 60-kilometre-an-hour gust out around Kingaroy with that storm that pushed through yesterday and overnight.

“Because we have seen those persistent showers and storms across the last few weeks it does mean the catchments around the South Burnett, but also across much of Southeast in Queensland, we’ve got these sort of saturated soil catchments.

“It doesn’t take as much rainfall to see those responses, particularly those sort of flash flooding responses in smaller creeks and streams around the place with less rainfall than it takes at the start of the summer season.”

Kingaroy Snap Fitness club manager Heidi Westbrook said the gym had been shut since it was inundated with floodwater on December 30, after a severe thunderstorm lashed the town.

Ms Westbrook said she had never seen storm activity as “bizarre” as it had been during December and early January.

“We have been closed for weeks just because there is so much clean-up to do, we only just got the dryers out of the gym,” she said.

“It is not ideal because this time of the year is always busy with people heading to the gym for their New Year’s resolutions.

“It is really stressful, but obviously it isn’t something you can predict will happen.

“I just don’t remember the weather ever being this crazy – I find myself messaging the club owner every time it looks like it is going to storm.”

Kingaroy local Shaye Routte said he had noticed a lot more storms this summer.

“Not only flooding in our area but more severe in the South Burnett area, it’s not consistent where they hit they just seem to hit different towns in the South Burnett and cause a lot of damage.

Snap Fitness in Kingaroy had been closed since December 30. Picture: Supplied

“It’s pretty scary because they just develop out of nowhere and take whatever they can in their path and destroy what they can,” he said.

Mr Routte said his neighbour’s home was destroyed after a storm caused a tree to collapse.

“(My neighbours) were at the end of the house when it hit, the owner was actually there five minutes before and decided to go inside when it started to rain – he was lucky,” Mr Routte said.

“It only took down our big trees – the Jacaranda tree in the kids’ play yard and the other tree on the fence line, but none went on our house.

“We actually had another storm at 2am a few mornings ago where the storm and wind was so severe it woke my family up and we went for cover in the other side of the house.

“We thought the trees were going to be coming for the house and windows because the glass windows were shaking. I felt that was more intense than Monday’s storm.”

Mr Routte said he was concerned by how many severe storms the region was having.

Damage in Kingaroy following Monday's storm. Picture: Shaye Routte

“It is worrying. When you have a young family and you wake up (to an intense storm) and have to head for cover,” he said.

“I really believe we are being hit the hardest at the moment. Not just the storms but flooding too.

“Everyone in South Burnett is struggling and it’s the community that has rallied together to help clean the big mess up we are left with.

“Without everyone helping we wouldn’t have gotten through it all.”

South Burnett Mayor Kathy Duff said the region had seen unprecedented rainfall this storm season.

“We’ve had an incredibly unusual time – we’ve had more rain in the month of December than we would normally get in six months, and then we’ve had some wild storms on top of that. There has just been unprecedented rainfall,” she said.

Kingaroy local Shaye Routte said his neighbour's house was destroyed by a fallen tree just this week. Picture: Supplied.

“We’ve had lots of damage, lots of road damage and a massive amount of green waste from huge gum trees and jacarandas falling.

“It is incredibly frustrating – there have been quite a few businesses in Kingaroy inundated with water, which is very unusual to have happened. Normally our towns are not flooded.”

Ms Duffy said the community had rallied together to support the clean-up around the region.

“I am very proud of our community – we are hoping for a big weekend this weekend to really get a lot of that green waste to the kerbside for council collection,” she said.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said the main influences on the weather this storm season were unusually warm ocean temperatures and a series of low-pressure troughs.

South Burnett Mayor Kathy Duff says the weather has been ‘incredibly unusual’.

The spokesman said the South Burnett and Lockyer and Somerset regions have seen increased rainfall from shower and storm activity.

“December 2024 and January 2025 to date have been characterised by unusually warm ocean temperatures near Australia which increases the amount of moisture in the air over Queensland,” they said.

“There have been a series of low-pressure troughs that moved across Queensland that, by drawing in moist air from the warm oceans, produced several periods of thunderstorms including many days with severe thunderstorms.

“This resulted in above-average rainfall for December for the southeast and northeast of the state.

“Although rainfall is just one storm hazard, and severe storms can occur with little to no rainfall, total rainfall can be an indicator for locations that have seen repeated storm activity.”