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Australia’s east coast will again be ravaged by heavy rain and severe thunderstorms over the weekend – while parts of NSW and Victoria struggle with major flooding.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that a low pressure area moving across the country will bring four days of ‘severe’ wet weather stretching more than 2,000km from central Queensland through NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.
A severe weather warning was issued for Queensland on Thursday with ‘intensive’ rain, damaging winds and ‘gigantic’ hail forecast for the west of the Great Dividing Range from Townsville to the NSW border.
Emerald in the center of the warning zone already had the wettest October day ever on Wednesday with 135mm of rain soaking the city.
This cumulative rain map of the next four days shows much of the east of the country ready for a soak (pictured)
The Bureau issued a severe weather warning for Queensland on Wednesday night (pictured)
In northern NSW, the area around Moree will bear the brunt of the rain, while Bureau meteorologist Dean Narramore says flooding is a concern in the area.
“There are likely to be widespread falls from 25mm to 50mm over the next four days, but there could be more severe falls in inland south east Queensland and inland north east NSW,” said Mr Narramore.
“We could see isolated waterfalls in those areas over 100mm.”
There are also major flood warnings for many rivers in NSW and northern Victoria, most notably the Murray River.
“We are concerned going into the weekend as additional waterfalls are likely to lead to new river rises,” the meteorologist said.
Mr Narramore said widespread waterfalls will occur along the east coast on Thursday and Friday will be a “flush and repeat” of rain and thunderstorms.
Severe thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds and heavy rainfall are all on the horizon for eastern Queensland, NSW and parts of an already flood-ravaged Victoria.
With no end in sight for the wet conditions, those in northern parts of Victoria have been warned that more “widespread moderate to major flooding” is likely.
South Australia will also receive particularly heavy rainfall in the southeastern part of the state, from Port Pirie to Renmark near the Victorian border.
“Severe falls in inland South Australia can also lead to flash flooding,” the agency warned.
Tasmania will also be affected by much of the rainfall, although it should escape the worst downpour.
Melburnians will face rain over the weekend but should escape the ‘intense’ falls seen elsewhere (Photo: Melbourne last Thursday)
Perth and Darwin will also see some rain with northern parts of WA being the only part of the country to remain completely dry this weekend.
Residents of flood-stricken Australian cities on Wednesday stepped up efforts to build levees and sandbags ahead of the forecast of further miserable weather.
An intense weather system last week sent two days of rain across much of Victoria, southern NSW and northern Tasmania in two days, causing flash flooding.
Water continues to rise around several inland towns in NSW and Victoria, and officials are urging residents to evacuate before being cut off.
Residents in some areas, including the northern Victorian rural town of Echuca, are facing their second flood in a week.
Residents of Echuca (pictured) and Moama near the Victorian border have been told to evacuate immediately as the Murray River rises to record highs
Volunteers sandbag Beechworth Bakery in Echuca as authorities warn more than 7,500 properties in the region could be affected by flooding
A gravel causeway has been built in Echuca, about 250km north of Melbourne, amid warnings that the Murray, Australia’s largest river, could breach a height of nearly 30 years later this week.
In the nearby town of Moama, across the state line in southern NSW, defense personnel worked with residents to sandbag houses.
Amid fears of further flooding, Grain Producers Australia said this year’s crop was ‘on the cutting edge’, following government warnings about the economic costs of flooding.