Queensland's Inner-West And North Bracing For Major Flood Event

Record rainfall predicted

Queensland's Inner-West And North Bracing For Major Flood Event wxmaps.org

Residents in the state's north and west are set to be pounded with constant rain over the next week, with forecasters monitoring a cell-system that could create a record rainfall event.

Independent weather groups are predicting the downpour could be Queensland's biggest flood event since the 74' floods. It'll be driven by an unpredictable upper-low level system, with some uncertainty around its strength.

The rain will be very welcome for drought-stricken farmers in regions around Mount Isa and Cloncurry, but the amount expected has prompted warnings for potential major flash flooding.

"In a nutshell, it's going to be major flooding rains stretching out for a number of days for the western interior and north Queensland. We're talking about total rainfall amounts, by the time everything is said and done, maybe up to 400mm or even more," said forecaster Ken Kato from the Early Warning Network.

"We're looking at rainfall amounts around 100mm to 200mm each day for certain parts of that region, we're looking at the main peak occurring over the next few days. After that it will really be a mix of showers and thunderstorms."

Kato said the upper-level low should start moving in a west south-west direction today.

"Because it won't really travel a huge distance, those areas of heavy rain should hang around in that general western and interior part of Queensland and that's really going to boost the rainfall totals."

As for Brisbane and the South East, we won't see anything near as heavy but Bureau is forecasting a late thunderstorm on Sunday into Monday and showers for the rest of the week, with rainfall totals ranging anywhere from 10mm to 80mm.