South East Queensland storms dump 100mm in under two hours

South East Queensland was hit by severe storms on Thursday morning, 22 October. Forecasters warned that up to 250 millimetres of rain could fall across the region over the coming days.

Sunrise reporter Anna McGraw said in a live cross from Brisbane that the weather system was widespread and affecting most of the south-east. Severe thunderstorm warnings were still current at the time.

She said the latest Bureau of Meteorology data showed more than 100 millimetres had fallen in less than two hours in areas including Caboolture, Morayfield and Burpengary. Those suburbs are known for flash flooding. Reports on social media that morning indicated several major roads had already gone under water.

Emergency services urged Queenslanders to take extra care on the roads.

The worst-affected areas over the following two days were expected to include the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, particularly in the hinterland. The report said some forecast rainfall totals had already been exceeded in parts of the south-east that morning.

The rain was expected to ease from Saturday, but sunshine was not forecast to return until Wednesday of the following week. McGraw described it as the first rain event of the season.

The police commissioner, who leads Queensland's emergency response, was on his way to the emergency services complex at Kedron to assess the situation, according to the report.

Conditions may have changed since the report went to air. Residents should check current Bureau of Meteorology warnings and local emergency advice before travelling.