Several Queensland towns were blocked by floods after a huge 2,000-kilometer rain band brought unrelenting torrential rains to the east of Australia.
Severe weather warnings remain in parts of central Queensland and parts of southwest, with slow-moving troughs dragging tropical moisture inland, and many call this phenomenon “pseudo-monsoon.”
Heavy rain has already broken monthly records in parts of the state, prompting warnings of hundreds of road closures, dam releases and flash floods.
The Weather Bureau (BOM) said some areas have been raining for a year in just a few days.
Some of the worst areas are in central Queensland, a town that includes Quilpee, Windara, Junda, Bouri, Bedorie, Eromanga, Adavare and Birdville.
By noon Wednesday, 200 roads had been closed throughout the region.
The department said the storm will continue to dump up to 120mm of rain in some areas until mid-week.
“We see a lot of water that moves inland areas very slowly,” said senior meteorologist Christy Johnson.
In the 24 hours leading up to Wednesday morning, Bogeun in central Queensland recorded 230mm of rain and Stonehenge, with Stonehenge watching 203mm. Known as Australia’s dinosaur capital, Winton has set a new daily rainfall record of 158mm. On the East Coast, the heaviest waterfalls were recorded near Townsville. Both the Rolling Stone and Pinnacle recorded over 140mm per day.
Bom Meteorologist Angus Hines said the extensive rain fueled tropical air and low-pressure systems creates a “monsoon-like” flow that stretches 2,000km across Queensland and parts of New South Wales.
“The rain is still passing through very wet areas already,” he said, adding that another 70-120mm is possible in the central and southwest.
Massive flood warnings from Bulloo, Thomson, Barcoo, Bohle, Haughton, Georgina Rivers and Cooper Creek are in place. Medium flood warnings remain active in other inland rivers.
Rainfall is expected to move south by Friday, bringing wet conditions to Brisbane and possibly Sydney, with easing expected by Sunday.
The rain comes weeks after Storm Alfred rained heavily over Queensland and New South Wales.
Meanwhile, parts of Adelaide and South Australia face an unusually dry and hot march. The city has received only 13.2mm of rain all year round, with the reservoir being the lowest in over 20 years. Temperatures in Perth and Pilbara are expected to exceed 39C, marking one of the longest March weather in decades.
The BOM says Australia’s land surface has been warmed to 1.5°C since 1910, and scientists warn that the climate crisis has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
