Bureau of Meteorology issues severe storm warnings for eastern Australia

Residents across eastern Australia are preparing for severe thunderstorms and heavy rain this weekend. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued warnings for South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania, while maintaining nine active flood warnings for southern Queensland. These forecasts indicate that regions already saturated by recent weather will receive further precipitation.

Senior meteorologist David Crock stated that severe storms are expected in central and eastern Queensland on Saturday. Specific locations at risk include Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast hinterlands, and Roma. Crock noted that the region is experiencing abundant rain and showers following an exceptionally wet week. He described the conditions as more typical of summer months, such as January or February, rather than late October.

The weather system is moving southward. Parts of Victoria, including Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, and central and eastern South Australia may face severe storms. In Tasmania, heavy rain is forecast to develop overnight into Sunday morning. A cold front is scheduled to cross New South Wales on Sunday, bringing severe thunderstorms to the western part of the state, north-eastern Victoria, Sydney, and Brisbane. Crock indicated that the threat of thunderstorms will extend across a wide portion of inland eastern Australia.

The current forecast follows a period of extreme rainfall in Queensland. Several areas received more than double their average October rainfall within a few days. The Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Caboolture recorded seven-day rainfall totals between 300mm and 400mm, with some specific locations reaching 450mm. Crock attributed these high totals to a persistent weather pattern that drew in large amounts of moisture over seven to 10 days, affecting Queensland and northern New South Wales.

The heaviest rainfall occurred on Thursday, when torrential rain stretched from Caboolture south to the Border Ranges. Some places received well over 200mm of rain in a single day. This downpour triggered flash flooding, water rescues, and hundreds of emergency calls to the State Emergency Service. Several schools were forced to close on Friday due to the conditions.

The Queensland fire department conducted more than 16 swift-water rescues during the event. In one instance, crews used a raft to reach an elderly man who was clinging to the roof of his vehicle in Caboolture.