Flash flooding has submerged some parts of southeast Queensland, Australia, following heavy rainfall events that occurred in the region from late December into the new year. These events have been called locally as the "Christmas storms" which even affected the southeastern Gold Coast city, located south of the state capital of Brisbane.
While the drenching weather event seems over for Queensland, the Australian Government's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued a warning that the flash flooding risk will continue across the state until Wednesday morning, January 3. During this period, localized intense rainfall is expected over the next 24 hours.
Australia Christmas Storms
The series of flooding in Queensland started when Cyclone Jasper made landfall in Northeast Australia (Queensland) before mid-December 2023, leaving thousands of people without electricity along with life-threatening risks associated with a Category 2 tropical cyclone such as powerful winds.
Although Jasper eventually left the Australian territory, renewed flooding persisted in different towns across Queensland, with hundreds of people evacuated and crocodiles were even reported lurking in floodwaters.
This situation was followed by inclement weather which brought heavy rain and large hailstones not only in Queensland but also to the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria during the Christmas storms of December 25 and December 26.
Between December 18 and December 30, the BOM issued almost regular Australia weather forecasts regarding Christmas storms that impacted both residential and business establishments.
Severe weather forecasts were issued by the bureau during the last weekend of 2023, which was marked by persisting flooding rain, and severe thunderstorms.
Also Read: Australia Weather: Heavy Rain Forces Flood Evacuations in Queensland
Queensland Flooding 2024
The continued flash flooding risk is due to the shift of the heavy rainfall threat from southeast to northeast Queensland, according to reports. BOM senior forecaster David Grant reportedly confirmed that the flood risk will remain into Tuesday night and possible into Wednesday morning, as mentioned earlier.
This means that the renewed Queensland flooding in 2024 is a continuation of the severe weather-driven torrential rain and flooding from late December 2023. On Monday, January 1, the BOM issued a severe weather warning on X (formerly Twitter) as seen below:
The weather alert highlights the continued threat of heavy to intense rain in multiple areas, including the Gold Coast, Brisbane, and the Sunshine Coast. These conditions that persisted at the start of the week can lead to dangerous and potentially life-threatening flash flooding and the "risk of landslips" around steeper slopes or terrain.
Meanwhile, similar adverse weather conditions have been reported in northern New South Wales, which also experienced a wet start to the new year. Since the border between southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales are the hotspot areas of the wet weather, some residents within this area have been ordered to evacuate by local authorities, according to local sources.
Australia is currently in its wet season that spans between November and April. This is also the period when thunderstorms occur.
Related Article: Heavy Rain Bombards Queensland's Central Coast with Flooding; Severe Weather Warning Issued [BoM]