‘Year’s worth of rain’: Qld to be smashed with severe rainfall, storms

Millions of residents have been warned to stay inside as potentially a “year’s worth of rain” passes over a major Aussie state.

Parts of inland Australia are set to be inundated with wild weather as millions brace for a “year’s worth” of rain and thunderstorms, while an ongoing heatwave continues smashing the other side of the country.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a thunderstorm warning to residents in Queensland’s interior, with the majority of rainfall targeting between Innisfail and Townsville on Sunday evening and into Monday morning.

Parts of inland Australia are set to be inundated with wild weather. Picture: Windy

“It’s going to be a wet and soggy week for many inland areas,” the bureau’s senior meteorologist Dean Narramore told NewsWire.

“We’ve seen falls of 50 to 150mm over the last 24 hours, and we do have severe weather warnings, flood watches and flood warnings current for all different parts of Queensland.”

Severe storms are expected to pass over the western and central interior and east coast, between Tully and Townsville, bringing heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding.

It’s driven by a combination of a deep surface trough and a “very moist” tropical air mass, which will drive up heavy rainfall in the area and showers and isolated thunderstorms in western parts of the state.

The bureau warned that wild weather was expected to continue into Tuesday morning as an inland low pressure system developed, with the threat of up to 200mm of isolated rainfall for residents in parts of Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders, North West, Central West, Channel Country and Maranoa and Warrego forecast districts.
Major flood warnings are in place for the Bulloo River, and moderate flood warnings have been set for the Bohle River, Haughton River catchment, Georgina River and Eyre Creek.

Minor flood warnings are in place for Herbert, Tully, Thomson and Barcoo rivers and Cooper Creek.

Severe thunderstorms are also expected in the area. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology

The bureau warned that parts of inland Queensland could cop up to 400m of rain in a matter of days.

“Normally, you’d see the heavy rainfall over a few days, but when you’re talking about hundreds of millimetres in outback areas like western Queensland, that is becoming more unusual,” Mr Narramore said.
“In some places, we’re looking at six or nine months’ worth of rainfall, and if we do get some of those heavier falls inland – 300mm or 400m – which would be isolated in some areas, that could be almost a year’s worth of rainfall.”

The wet weather was set to stick around for the week, the bureau warned, before clearing up by the weekend.

The heavy rainfall has also focused on the Northern Territory’s south and eastern interior as well as the northern regions of South Australia, which has been inundated with rain and flooding.

According to Weatherzone, Birdsville in Queensland recorded 70mm of rain in 24 hours, twice the monthly average and surpassing its highest rainfall total in five years.

The SA town of Coober Pedy received 30mm of rainfall in 24 hours, which is three times its monthly average and its largest rainfall total in two years.

It will be the wettest week for much of inland Queensland. Picture: Weatherzone

Conditions are far hotter on the other side of the country, which has been battling an oppressive heatwave for several days.

“We’re seeing a locally extreme heatwave conditions for much of this week,” Mr Narramore told NewsWire.

Temperatures are expected to surpass the low 40s in southwestern parts of Western Australia, with pockets of the Gascoyne to reach the high 40s.

“We’re looking at temperatures at and above 36C and an overnight low in the low-to-mid 20s,” he said.

“It’s pretty hot for this time of year … this heat for one day isn’t unusual, but for a week, it’s unusual.”

Brisbane residents can expect a cloudy day with a medium chance of showers and a top of 29C.

It will also be cloudy in Sydney with a medium chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a maximum temperature of 27C.

Melbourne will be partly cloudy, with a slight chance of a shower in the afternoon and a top of 22C.

It will be a sunny day in Adelaide with clear skies and a top of 29C.

In Perth, conditions are forecast to reach 38C, with clear skies and northeasterly winds.

It’s mostly sunny in Hobart, with a chance of rain and a top of 23C.

Canberra will be partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower and a maximum temperature of 29C.

There’s a high chance of showers in Darwin, with the chance of a thunderstorm and a top of 31C.

Originally published as ‘Year’s worth of rain’: Qld to be smashed with severe rainfall, storms