3 days ago
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Several towns across Queensland have been cut off by floodwaters after a massive 2,000-kilometre-long rain band brought days of relentless downpour to Australia’s east.
A severe weather warning remained in place across parts of central west and south-west Queensland, as a slow-moving trough continues to drag tropical moisture over the inland, with many calling the phenomenon a “pseudo-monsoon”.
The intense rainfall has already broken monthly records in parts of the state, prompting hundreds of road closures, dam releases, and warnings of flash flooding.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said some areas were seeing a year’s worth of rain in just a few days.
Some of the worst-affected regions are in central-west Queensland, where towns like Quilpie, Windorah, Jundah, Boulia, Bedourie, Eromanga, Adavale and Birdsville.
By Wednesday noon, 200 roads were shut across the region.
The bureau said the storm would continue to dump up to 120mm of rain in some areas through midweek, with potential for even heavier localised falls.
“We’re seeing a lot of water that’s going to be very slow moving through inland parts,” senior meteorologist Christie Johnson said.
In the 24 hours to Wednesday morning, Bogewong in central west Queensland recorded 230mm of rain and Stonehenge saw 203mm. Winton, known as Australia’s dinosaur capital, set a new daily rainfall record of 158mm. On the east coast, the heaviest falls were recorded near Townsville. Rollingstone and The Pinnacles both recorded over 140mm in a day.
BoM meteorologist Angus Hines said the widespread rain, fuelled by a tropical air mass and low-pressure system, was creating a "monsoon-like" flow stretching 2,000km across Queensland and parts of New South Wales.
“The rain is still going through these already very wet areas,” he said, adding that another 70 to 120mm was possible across the central and south-west.
Major flood warnings are in place for the Bulloo, Thomson, Barcoo, Bohle, Haughton, and Georgina rivers, as well as Cooper Creek. Moderate flood warnings remain active for other inland rivers.
The rainfall is expected to shift southward by Friday, bringing wet conditions to Brisbane and possibly Sydney, with easing expected by Sunday.
The rainfall comes just weeks after Storm Alfred battered Queensland and New South Wales with severe rainfall.
Meanwhile, Adelaide and parts of South Australia are facing an unusually dry and hot March. The city has received just 13.2mm of rain all year, and reservoirs are at their lowest in over 20 years. Temperatures in Perth and the Pilbara are forecast to exceed 39C, marking one of the longest runs of hot March weather in decades.
The BoM has said that Australia’s land surface has warmed by 1.5C since 1910, and scientists warn that the climate crisis is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
