Queensland cops a soaking as ex-cyclone leaves its mark

Crews are working to restore electricity for Queenslanders left without power after ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily lashed the state.

More than 4000 homes were without power in the Townsville city council area on Monday morning, while 200 customers were still in the dark in Burdekin shire.

About 66,000 customers experienced a power outage at the peak of the wild weather.

Parts of Queensland remain at risk of heavy rain and flooding as Kirrily impacts the state’s western interior.

Seymour Gap received 256 millimetres of rain in 24 hours, while 244mm fell at Kirby in the same period.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the ex-tropical cyclone was expected to “linger” in the area between Mount Isa and Longreach for the next few days.

“It is largely stationary within that area and is expected to stay that way for a couple of days at least,” a bureau spokesperson said.

“Beyond that the movement is a bit uncertain, it may drift north or west at this point but it’s likely to continue having an impact through that inland Queensland area for most of the week.”

A severe thunderstorm warning was current across the Central Highlands, Capricornia coast, Warrego and Darling Downs regions.

Tanderra in the Central Highlands received 73mm of rain in an hour on Monday morning.

“We’ve been seeing significant shower and thunderstorm activity over the last few days and we’re still expecting to see some more of that activity coming through,” the bureau spokesperson said.

Heavy rain fell at the weekend in the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane, the Central Highlands and north-west Queensland, with the bureau issuing flood warnings for numerous rivers.

The top totals were recorded at Glenora Road (243mm) and Mount Berryman (234mm).

“In areas where we have already seen significant rainfall this year, the catchments are largely saturated, the rivers have water in them, which means significant thunderstorm activity could lead to quite quick responses in those rivers,” the bureau spokesperson said.

Disaster assistance was also extended to cyclone-affected residents in the state’s north at the weekend.

Personal hardship assistance grants of up to $180 for individuals and up to $900 for families of five or more have been offered to residents of the worst-hit areas of Townsville and Burdekin shires.

Kirrily came after Tropical Cyclone Jasper caused record flooding that devastated the far north, with homes destroyed and communities isolated.

– AAP