Sunday’s forecast warns of severe thunderstorms on Australia’s east coast for the second day in a row, with heavy rains increasing the risk of flash flooding, according to the country’s weather bureau.
Over the last 24 hours, southeastern regions of Queensland and northern New South Wales have experienced a wild weather system, resulting in torrential rains, hailstones as large as 5 cm (2 inches) and wind gusts of nearly 100 kph (62 mph).
One rural town, Beerburrum in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast region, received 127 mm (5 inches) of rain, which is roughly equivalent to an average month’s amount.
“Yet another day of severe thunderstorms is on the way … with the storm risk becoming more extensive throughout the first week of 2024,” Miriam Bradbury, a forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, said in a video message on the social media platform X.
Forecasters predict “locally intense rainfall which will lead to flash flooding” in some parts of Queensland.
Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt announced that the government would be deploying up to 70 military veterans and retired emergency service workers across southeast Queensland to assist with cleanup efforts following the recent storms.
These storms follow severe weather on Dec. 25 and 26 that caused 10 fatalities and power outages for tens of thousands of properties across the east, as well as widespread flooding and damage from Cyclone Jasper earlier in the month.
Experts suggest that climate change has intensified Australia’s weather extremes in recent years. The country is also currently experiencing the El Nino weather phenomenon, which can provoke wildfires, cyclones, and prolonged drought.
While thunderstorms are expected in some parts of the region, towns in Queensland’s outback are experiencing a heatwave. Weather forecasts predict that temperatures in Julia Creek could reach 45°C (113°F) on Sunday.
However, the weather in the country’s southeast is expected to be mild, allowing Sydney to go ahead with its traditional New Year’s Eve fireworks display, with authorities preparing for approximately one million spectators along the foreshore to watch the 12-minute pyrotechnic show.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney: Editing by Neil Fullick.)
