Flash Floods and Rescues in SE Queensland, N NSW

Heavy rainfall battered southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales overnight, triggering flash floods, road closures, and multiple rescues while prompting warnings of more intense weather through the weekend.

The deluge, driven by a low-pressure trough moving across the region, saturated catchments from the Wide Bay and Burnett areas to the Central Highlands and Coalfields in Queensland. Upper Springbrook in the Gold Coast Hinterland recorded 184 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, the highest total, followed by 177 millimeters at Coringa in North Burnett and 154 millimeters at Byrnestown. Hervey Bay saw 122 millimeters, and Bundaberg received 118 millimeters by Saturday morning. In northern New South Wales, Green Pigeon logged 178 millimeters between Thursday morning and Friday, with Mullumbimby at 131 millimeters and Yalgun Creek at 125 millimeters. Central Queensland also faced heavy downpours, including 72 millimeters in one hour at Mount Playfair.

State Emergency Service crews responded to 176 calls for help in southeast Queensland and Wide Bay by 10 a.m. Saturday, primarily for sandbagging and securing properties against rising waters. Several incidents involved...