Weather forecasters are warning a fresh wave of record-breaking rain and storms will continue to lash parts of inland Australia this week, with the risk of road links being cut.
Queensland’s interior will feel the brunt of the extreme conditions caused by a moisture-filled monsoonal trough over the coming days, reports Weatherzone.
Last week, flooding in the state’s far west, northern South Australia and the Northern Territory’s south caused transport links to be severed and isolated communities cut off.
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The deluge caused seasonal rainfall records to be smashed in some parts.
The outback Queensland town of Birdsville experienced its heaviest rainfall in five years, with more than 70mm falling in 24 hours, twice the monthly average.
Other communities recorded the biggest falls for two years: Coober Pedy in SA had 30mm in 24 hours, three times the monthly average, while 90mm in the same period, one-and-a-half times the monthly average, fell on Urandangi in Queensland.
The extreme weather is now shifting to inland Queensland. The Bureau of Meteorology today issued a severe thunderstorm warning for north-western inland parts of the state.
“Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Camooweal, Selwyn and Mckinlay.”
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https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1903703362249572837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
With the potential for a few hundred millimetres of rain across a large region, residents are being warned some isolated communities may be cut off.
Long-term impacts of the downpour will be felt in the Channel Country, which largely encompasses outback Queensland. The heavy rains are expected to fill Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre for the next few months in a boon for wildlife.
But with kangaroos and emus being attracted to water on flooded roads, drivers are being urged to take extra care.
Meanwhile, a rescue operation will begin today in South Australia’s far north to free three adults and a child stranded in flood waters.
The group of three adults and a six-year-old child were last seen travelling from Finke last Friday towards the NT before they made contact with authorities yesterday.
Food supplies were dropped to them by aircraft but they are still trapped by flood waters.
