Areas of Australia that have been hit hardest by the recent floods have been warned to brace themselves for more as another dangerous weather system looms, per news.com.au.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued a severe weather warning for southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales on Sunday afternoon that said up to 200mm of isolated rainfall across these regions could lead to life-threatening flash flooding.
Severe Weather Update: Dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding for SE QLD, NE NSW. Video current: 12:00pm AEDT 27 March 2022
Know your weather, know your risk. For the latest forecasts and warnings, go to our website https://t.co/4W35o8zIoh or the #BOMWeather app pic.twitter.com/eD0MJKxLsP
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 27, 2022
An emergency warning was also issued for the Queensland town of Dalby, after it received more than 160mm of rainfall within the last 24 hours.
The council for the Western Downs Region – which includes Dalby – issued a “watch and act” alert on Monday morning at 5.10am urging residents in low-lying areas to “warn neighbours, secure property and belongings, and prepare to move to higher ground”.
It comes as the Sunshine Coast town of Pomona recorded 121mm of rain, and as 106mm was recorded at Bowenville to the west of Dalby, and south at Black Mountain.
BOM has issued severe weather warnings for heavy rain for the Northern Rivers, Northern Tablelands, parts of the NSW Mid North Coast and southeast Queensland.
“Locally INTENSE RAINFALL leading to dangerous and LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODING is possible with thunderstorms with six-hourly rainfall totals in excess of 180mm,” BOM’s warning for northern NSW read.
Flood warnings have also been issued for several areas of northern NSW, including Tweed Heads, Murwillumbah, Byron Bay, Lismore, Yamba, Grafton, Coffs Harbour and Dorrigo.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to hit the region on Monday and Tuesday, with the rain expected to continue for the first half of the week.
With catchments in the area already saturated from the previous bouts of severe weather, minor to moderate flooding could be possible in the first half of the week.
“We have seen flash flooding and fatalities occur (during the recent floods) with only moderate falls,” BOM meteorologist Jackson Browne said.
“And with heavy-to-intense falls, this risk is very significant for flash flooding.”
Mr Browne said parts of southeast Queensland were also under a general flood watch, with between 60 and 100mm of rain predicted to lash Brisbane on Monday before the weather system moves south into NSW on Tuesday.
“It’s likely that we’ll see (the general flood watch) extended into the Brisbane and Sunshine Coast areas,” he said.
“There are minor flood watches over large areas of New South Wales and moderate (flood watches) especially up in recently flood-affected parts of northern New South Wales.”
The Northern NSW SES has also warned that several regions are at risk, including:
- Tweed and Rouse Rivers – minor to moderate flooding
- Brunswick River and Marshalls Creek – minor flooding
- Wilsons River – minor to moderate flooding
- Richmond River – minor to moderate flooding
- Clarence River – minor flooding
- Orara River – minor to moderate flooding
- Coffs Coast – localised flooding
- Bellinger and Kalang Rivers – minor flooding
- Nambucca River – minor flooding
- Hastings River – minor flooding
- Camden Haven River – minor flooding
- Manning and Gloucester Rivers – minor flooding
- Wollombi Brook and Lower Hunter River – minor flooding
Image: Getty Images
This article first appeared on OverSixty.