Torrential rain drenches southeast Queensland, deluge expected into weekend

Heavy downpour continues to drench southeast Queensland on Friday, February 7, 2020, flooding the region. Flood warnings issued by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) remain in place as showers and thunderstorms are expected throughout the weekend.

According to BOM forecaster Jonty Hall, the Eumundi and Yandina area on the Sunshine Coast registered 90 mm (3.5 inches) in an hour overnight on Thursday, February 6.

"It is a part of the world which is no stranger to heavy rainfall but even for there that was pretty heavy," he stated.

Moreover, a combination of heavy rain and swollen floodwater had caused "further scouring of the road at Tingira Crescent Sunrise Beach," said a Noosa Council spokesperson. Rain initially triggered a portion of the road to collapse on January 19.

Much of the road had already collapsed, said council infrastructure services director Carl Billingham on February 7. The repair period, in turn, was extended by several weeks.

"The works that have been undertaken to date have been effective in protecting the adjacent block of apartments," he added.

We've been praying for rain for months and it's finally here, filling dams, flooding roads and causing landslides.

Flood watches are in place tonight, with the deluge set to continue throughout the weekend. @SophieUpcroft #9News pic.twitter.com/nfD6vyuwo0

— Nine News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) February 7, 2020

Parts of Central Queensland have experienced flash flooding, after more than 100 millimetres of rain was recorded in the area overnight. https://t.co/PNrJc2LX5T @annamcgraw_7 #qldweather #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/DHJ94PoJKM

— 7NEWS Central Queensland (@7NewsCQ) February 7, 2020

Flood warnings issued for Queensland and New South Wales as heavy rain drenches the nation's east coast. https://t.co/JA4U9WV26S

— Twitter Moments Australia (@MomentsAU) February 6, 2020

Over the last three days, the highest rainfall totals were around the southern Wide Bay and northern Sunshine Coast, with the Tin Can Bay and Coops Corner recording 395 mm (15.5 inches) while Eumundi saw 340 mm (13.4 inches).

In a nearby road, a woman was rescued from her car trapped in floodwaters on North Arm Yandina Creek. According to police, there was roughly 600 mm (23.6 inches) of water over the road, which was rapidly rising.

The state emergency service received 288 requests for assistance over the last 24 hours across Queensland, including over 100 in Brisbane.

The heaviest falls in Brisbane for the past 24 hours were in the northern suburbs where Strathpine saw 157 mm (6.2 inches) of rain.

On Friday morning, a burst sewer main on the Centenary Highway at Jindalee caused all northbound lanes to close, cutting off one of the key routes for commuters going from Brisbane's west into the city. The road was blocked for hours but one lane has since opened again.

BOM has flood warnings in place including minor alerts for the rivers Dawson, Noosa, and Paroo, and a major alert for the lower Flinders.

The weather is forecast to improve in the region into early Saturday, February 8. However, Hall warned that there is "another system coming in hot on the heels of this one over the Darling Downs area during tomorrow."

Furthermore, "there's potential for heavy falls on the Darling Downs tomorrow and that spreads eastwards to the coast" on Sunday and Monday, February 9 and 10.

"So we will see the return of more widespread heavy totals on Sunday and Monday."

Severe Weather Update: widespread heavy rainfall and flood risk along the east coast. 7 February 2020

Video is current at 1 pm AEDT 7 February 2020.

For the latest weather and warnings, information visit https://t.co/qlzYU0jRuR and follow advice from emergency services. pic.twitter.com/t64rcJS249

— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) February 7, 2020

Featured image credit: Teonie Dwyer