Emergency services are poised to carry out rescues as record-breaking downpours have soaked parts of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales.
South-east Queensland’s coastal catchments have been issued with a flood watch warning, as have parts of the NSW Northern Rivers.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Miriam Bradbury said while the trough had shifted offshore on Wednesday night, there was no room for complacency on flooding.
“We’ve seen a number of days of heavy rainfall at this point, and water is still moving through our river catchments,” she said.
Flood peaks have either occurred or are predicted to in the next day or two, while another burst of rain is expected to hit on Friday after isolated showers on Thursday.
Earlier, the BoM’s Sarah Scully said a number of sites across south-east Queensland had seen their wettest day on record for August in the 24 hours to 9am on Wednesday.
Parts of the Queensland coast, including Yeppoon, copped a battering into Wednesday morning with more than 100mm in less than six hours.
Samuels Hill, north-east of Rockhampton, received 177mm of rainfall, breaking the daily record for August.
Rockhampton also recorded its highest ever August 24-hour total with 85mm of rain falling overnight.
In Brisbane, another 60mm of rain is forecast on Wednesday and up to 100mm for areas bordering the city.
Flooding has already closed some roads across Brisbane’s north.
The deluge forced the postponement of Wednesday’s Grand Parade at the Royal Queensland Show, held each year on the People’s Day public holiday.
The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland chief executive, Brendan Christou, said the showjumping competition had been cancelled and that the “difficult decision” had been made to shift the parade to Saturday.
Widespread rain continues across areas of south-east #Qld and north-east #NSW, with the ongoing potential for riverine and flash #flooding.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) August 14, 2024
Latest forecasts and warnings: https://t.co/4W35o8i7wJ pic.twitter.com/BMH1xEJuAw
Sydney’s “steady but light” showers were expected to clear overnight, with some showers expected on Thursday.
In the north of the state, about 100mm was expected between the NSW Tweed Coast and Coffs Harbour in a 24-hour period, with isolated higher falls possible.
NSW State Emergency Service spokesperson, Andrew Edmunds, said an incident management team had been set up in Lismore to coordinate flood rescues.
Crews had already responded to 163 incidents and three flood rescues across the state within 48 hours.
Over the last 48 hours, our volunteers have been busy responding to 163 statewide incidents with 3 flood rescues. A further 100mm of widespread heavy rain is expected tonight, with isolated falls of up to 200mm possible.
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) August 13, 2024
View all warnings: https://t.co/su3fWdT1Gh pic.twitter.com/fgUOKE72GV
Flood watches remain in place for the Tweed and Brunswick rivers. Minor flood warnings are in place for the Wilsons and Orara rivers. Many of the areas are still recovering from severe flooding that hit the region in early 2022.
Friday and Saturday will bring more showers and storms, particularly in NSW’s southern inland areas, with potentially severe storms in the Riverina on Friday afternoon.
