Queensland expecting further heavy rain and ongoing flooding

Australian Community Media

Townsville and surrounding areas have seen a year's rainfall total in just over a week.

Transcript

00:00A lingering monsoon trough continues to bring heavy rainfall and flooding to northern parts

00:05of Queensland.

00:06Over the weekend we saw rainfall totals between three to four hundred millimetres across multiple

00:12locations and there is more on its way.

00:16We have a Severe Weather Warning in place that extends all the way from Innisfail down

00:20towards Eyre, pushing inland into the Gulf Country and southern parts of the peninsula.

00:25This is for heavy to locally intense rainfall that may lead to life-threatening flash flooding.

00:31And with six hourly rainfall totals between 150 to 180 millimetres with the potential

00:37for 24 hour rainfall totals to be in excess of 250 millimetres even up to 300 millimetres.

00:46Now the heavy rainfall has eased across the Queensland coast but we are expecting it to

00:51re-intensify tonight and become more widespread into Tuesday.

00:55With the heaviest rainfall in the areas of locally intense most likely through that tropical

01:01north Queensland coast, the Herbert and Lower Burdekin but also the northern goldfields

01:07and the upper Flinders as well.

01:09And that's for it to develop later this evening continuing into Tuesday before significantly

01:14weakening on Wednesday.

01:16There are also high tides about the Gulf Coast and the Torres Straits that may lead

01:21to minor flooding and inundation of low-lying areas.

01:25So how much rainfall are we talking?

01:27This is the accumulated rainfall totals between now and Tuesday evening.

01:32You can see that the highest rainfall totals are of course within that area where the Severe

01:36Weather Warning is in place.

01:37But we have the potential for these purple areas in excess of 250 to 300 millimetres

01:44through that northern goldfields, upper Flinders and the north tropical Queensland coast.

01:50There are a number of flood watches in place that really just represent the story that

01:55the rainfall is expected to increase particularly through the Gulf Country or north-western

02:00parts of Queensland but also the peninsula as well.

02:04So these flood watches are showing where water may need to make its way down through the

02:09catchments.

02:11So there are also a number of flood warnings in place of course, moderate to major flooding

02:17right across areas of the north tropical Queensland coast including major flood warning about

02:22the Herbert, the Burdekin, the Cape and the Flinders with widespread moderate flooding

02:29through the area as well and including even as far west as the Western River.

02:34Now this is at the moment, however it is an evolving weather situation and grounds are

02:39very wet, river systems are swollen, they're going to respond very quickly to any rainfall

02:44that falls over the area and it's very likely that these warnings and watches will be updated

02:49in the coming days so it's important to stay up to date.

02:54So as well as the heavy rainfall there is the potential for severe thunderstorms as

02:58well.

02:59So this is for today, extending from Cairns all the way down to Townsville and pushing

03:03across into western parts of Queensland.

03:06So the yellow and the red area is where the severe thunderstorms are possible with the

03:11red areas where they are most likely and underneath those storms there may be heavy to locally

03:16intense rainfall that may result in flash flooding as well.

03:21So it is important if you live across parts of northern Queensland that you stay up to

03:25date with the latest warnings via the Bureau website, app and social media and as always

03:32listen to the advice from your local emergency services.

03:35Bye for now.

Category

Transcript

Recommended