Hinchinbrook weather: Severe rain warning issued for Ingham, Abergowrie

Hinchinbrook residents have been told to avoid driving if possible following a severe weather warning.

Hinchinbrook residents have been told to avoid driving if possible following a severe weather warning. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Hinchinbrook residents have been told to avoid driving if possible following a severe weather warning.

“Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours,” the Bureau of Meteorology said in its warning issued at 1.34pm on Thursday.

“Locations which may be affected include Ingham and Abergowrie.”

It has been raining in Ingham for most of the day following an earlier BOM storm warning.

BOM said the adverse weather was caused by a trough in a wet and unstable air mass, which was “producing slow-moving severe thunderstorms in central Queensland this afternoon”.

The Bureau said emergency services had issued a number of warnings, including not to drive unless necessary “because conditions are dangerous”.

“Put your pets somewhere safe and make sure they can be identified in case they get lost,” another warning read.

Advice includes:

• Park your car undercover, away from trees

• Close doors and windows

• Keep asthma medications close by as storms and wind can trigger asthma attacks

• Charge mobile phones and power banks in case the power goes out

• Tell friends, family and neighbours in the area

• Go inside a strong building now and stay inside until the storm has passed

The State Emergency Service (SES) said the storm season had begun, “with heavy rainfall soaking the state and more wet weather ahead of us”.

SES says it is working alongside the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and other emergency services to provide emergency and rescue services to communities impacted by natural disasters and emergencies.

It said that since the season began on October 1, it had responded to 1000 requests for help across the Queensland, primarily in the Brisbane region.

SES advised Queenslanders to check with their councils to see whether flooding was expected to endanger home and lives.

For more information, head to SES Prepare for Severe Weather.

For life-threatening emergencies, call triple-0.

Originally published as Hinchinbrook weather: Severe rain warning issued for Ingham, Abergowrie