Grab your brolly Brisbane, wet weather’s on the way amid a soggy summer ahead

Brisbane City Council has warned residents to brace for a wetter-than-average summer, after heavy rain at the weekend caused flash flooding across the city for the second time in as many weeks.

The weather bureau’s Steve Hadley said flood warnings remained in effect on Sunday for creeks and rivers in the south-east, despite a sunny break in the weather and warmer temperatures.

“From around Monday to Wednesday this week, we could see a lot of cloud cover, [a] really high chance of showers, and maybe minor flooding in certain areas as well,” Hadley said.

The weather bureau expects rain for Brisbane during the start of the week, with about 15mm to 20mm forecast daily in some areas.Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt

“We could potentially see some areas get more than 15 to 20 millimetres of rainfall each day.”

The council said residents needed to prepare a flood plan for the wetter-than-average summer predicted by the weather bureau.

“The ground is saturated from a wet month and that means there’s a real possibility of flash flooding, particularly if the rainfall exceeds predictions, like it did in 2022,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.

“We’ve been preparing our city year-round, and Brisbane residents need to prepare now, too. You can hope for the best, but I’m urging everyone to prepare for the worst.”

Brisbane recorded more than 237 millimetres of rain in November – more than double the monthly average.

Hadley said the coming days could bring sporadic, heavy rainfall.

“There could be some areas that see some isolated falls around the 30-millimetre to 70-millimetre mark if we get any thunderstorms,” he said.

The Gabba outfield was under water at one point on Saturday as drenching rain forced groundsmen to cover the pitch.Credit: Getty Images

“[There is] potential for there to be one or two bursts of heavy rainfall around, particularly around Monday on the coast north of Brisbane.”

Massive downpours on Saturday in Brisbane prompted flash flooding in the city’s east and halted the first day of the Australia v India cricket Test at the Gabba.

More than 30,000 people who attended Saturday’s game were refunded the cost of their ticket, with play resuming from 9.50am on Sunday.

Brisbane’s State Emergency Service reported 20 calls on Saturday, including those seeking help to secure tarps over damaged homes, and one call for downed trees in Camp Hill.

Higher-than-average peak tides in Moreton Bay caused the council to issue flood alerts for bayside suburbs and creeks in the city’s east, opening up access to its sandbag collection points.

The council said sandbags would remain available as needed across the summer at dedicated collection points.

It also encouraged Brisbane residents to sign up for council’s free severe weather alert service, and familiarise themselves with their property’s flood risk ahead of time using its online resources.

The weather bureau expected a 60 per cent to 80 per cent chance of above-average rainfall between January and March.

Brisbane rainfall typically peaks in January and February at an average of about 160 millimetres, while December’s average sits around 130 millimetres.

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