Heavy Rainfall Floods Southeast Queensland, More Wet Weather Ahead.

Several parts of Queensland are bracing for more flooding after days of extreme rainfall in the area.

Brisbane and greater southeast Queensland were drenched after days of severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. Though the rain is expected to end on Thursday, more flooding is possible near the Warrego River, which flows through Queensland and New South Wales.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the river saw heavy rainfall of over 150 millimetres in the last 8 hours to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, leaving rising water levels and major flooding in southeast Queensland.

More showers are expected on Thursday and Friday, with flooded areas under close monitoring and warnings to be issued.

On Wednesday, BOM released a severe weather warning for central Queensland, stating that total rainfall could reach 160 to 180 millimetres in six hours and up to 250 to 300 millimetres over 24 hours.

The department warned residents in the area to brace for heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding, floods caused by rain in less than six hours.

Last Saturday, the police rescued a woman who was trapped in her car in Rochedale, South Brisbane, after nearly 100 millimetres of rain fell within three hours in the region.

In 2022, the state saw a record average rainfall of 778 millimetres which was 25% above the average of over 20 years.

As of Tuesday, the BOM recorded heavy downpours for several Brisbane suburbs, including Rosalie with 46mm, Toowong with 45 mm, Green Hill with 43mm and Youngs Crossing with 33mm.

Samuel Karjadi, a resident of northern Brisbane, said that he almost experienced a car accident on his way home last Thursday because of the storm.

“It was quite dark and the road was slippery as well. I nearly hit someone’s car in an intersection near my house,” he said.

Karjadi works as a chef in Brisbane’s Central District. He said the rain impacted the number of customers in his restaurant.

“There’s usually 750 customers on a Saturday, but last Saturday, we lost around 200 customers because it rained all day,” he said.

Patrick Lan, manager of the gelato shop Messina Fortitude Valley in Brisbane City, also said that the rain has negatively impacted the business.

“I have to send my staff home because there are no customers. Usually, after dinner, we expect a busy flow of customers, but business was really slow last week,” he said.

BOM also forecasted an unusual 80% chance of rain in the summer, from December to February, across eastern Australia, including Queensland.

Yuen Wai Ng, a university student, experienced the flooding in her neighbourhood this week and had her plans cancelled.

“I hope it stops raining next week. I couldn’t go anywhere this week. Public transport was mostly delayed last Saturday and traffic was everywhere in the city,” she said.