Queensland braces for days of heavy rain as BoM issues flood warnings for parts of state | Queensland
Much of north Queensland will be hit by days of heavy rainfall, with some areas expected to receive up to 500mm of rainfall next week, according to the weather bureau.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for the bay area due to heavy rainfall and is expected to issue a further warning for the coastal area around Townsville later today.
Flood warnings have also been issued in the bay; A flood watch remains active for parts of north-west Queensland and the tropical north coast.
BoM senior meteorologist Andrea Peace said parts of the gulf region, such as Mount Isa, received between 30 and 80 mm of rain in the past day, while isolated areas received up to 120 mm.
Up to 100 mm of rain is expected to fall in the same areas on Sunday.
The system is very large and is becoming increasingly concentrated, but remains “almost constant,” Peace said. He said it would “affect Queensland for at least the next three to four days.”
“We expect to receive much more rainfall from this region in the coming days,” he said.
Pearce said the system will move further east on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“It is out of the question to see totals exceeding 500 mm across the region this week,” he said.
Pearce compared the rain event to the incident and said there was a risk for livestock. Townsville floods that caused major inland flooding in 2019.
Queensland Police Minister Dan Purdie said the state’s disaster coordinator had spent the past week preparing for possible flooding.
“The biggest concern in north-west Queensland is livestock and feed and a feed release plan is also in place [if roads are cut off]said Purdie.
The bureau has issued a moderate flood warning for the town of Winton, with the Diamantina River expected to flood on Sunday.
There is also a long-term major flood warning in place for the Walkers Bend, Flinders and Cloncurry catchments. Flooding is expected in Cloncurry today.
The second system is expected to cause heavy rainfall in coastal areas around Townsville and Cairns. A total of approximately 100 mm was seen in the region in the past day.
Peace said the region was likely to see an additional 60 to 80 mm today, with up to 200 mm of that in isolated pockets. Totals will intensify between 70 and 120 mm on Monday, with some areas seeing 300 mm or more.
“At this stage our flood team are considering issuing some flood warnings for areas around the Bohle River, particularly just north of Townsville,” he said.
Wild weather is triggered by inland monsoons and offshore monsoons; both of these are caused by very high sea surface temperatures. Peace said the rain will likely continue all week, with the rain tapering off by the end of the week.
