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Brisbane weather: Clean-up underway after flash flooding hits Queensland's south-east

Flood-damaged cars in Windsor lined up for towing to local mechanics. - ABC

The clean-up has begun in Brisbane after fierce storms triggered flash flooding across south-east Queensland, with the full extent of the damage yet to be realised.

Parts of Brisbane received well over 100 millimetres of rain on Sunday, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said, and many homes and businesses were flooded.



"Places like Alderley, Toowong, Corinda - that is the zone where you were getting 150 to 180 millimetres," BoM senior forecaster Michelle Berry said.

Falls of 141mm were recorded at BoM's Archerfield rain gauge in Brisbane's south.

Brisbane chief fire officer Steve Hollands said there were at least 23 swift-water incidents and dozens more people had lucky escapes.

"Five were life rescues where we had to go into the water to take people to safety," he said.

He said it bucketed down hard for almost four hours, causing major flooding in low-lying parts of the city.

Mr Holland said once again motorists had ignored warnings about flooded roads.

"It is beyond me that people still enter water â?? some of our vehicles had to park across the road to stop more people from driving into where they had just rescued someone," he said.

"[There were] plenty of scared people and small babies.

"We did have one rescue where there was three people sitting on the roof of their vehicle that we went in to rescue them with our boats."



But one couple at Wooloowin in northern Brisbane told the ABC they did not see the water on the road until it was too late.

"We didn't see that it was flooded and then we came in and then we couldn't turn the car back on," a woman said.

Road Safety Minister Mark Bailey said it was disappointing to still see people driving through floodwaters.

"Only 15 centimetres of water can move your car off the road and I think people don't realise. It's not the height of the water, it's the velocity of the water that gets you into trouble," he said.

"Every time someone drives into floodwater and puts themselves at danger, they're also putting their rescuers at danger, they're putting members of the public who care about them and might try to rescue them in danger."

Rising water shocked Windsor residents

Flash flooding affected dozens of cars and properties at Windsor in Brisbane's north.

Windsor resident Sean Powyer said the speed of the rising water shocked everyone.

"The rain stopped around seven o'clock, the water just seemed to appear out of nowhere," Mr Powyer said

"That's when we discovered it and I think at the same time as most other people on the street no-one really had a chance to move anything a few cars along the street have been completely flooded.

"I imagine if it had of been a bit slower people would have had a bit more time to move stuff."



Alex Cambridge said he had water pouring into his property within 20 minutes.

"It just was pumping into our house, we couldn't stop it," he said.

"I know it's a flood area, but it wasn't anywhere near this bad when we had those ones [storms]."

The State Emergency Service (SES) said it received around 300 calls for help, mostly for flooding.

The storms took out power lines and cut electricity to more than 9,000 customers across south-east Queensland.

The storm , where gale-force winds tore roofs from several properties and falling debris damaged a number of cars.



Rain a welcome relief to graziers in outback

The weekend downpour was .

Longreach and Barcaldine in the state's central-west broke their monthly rainfall records, receiving up to 170 millimetres since the start of the month.

There was 120mm of rain recorded across the weekend at Eltham Station, west of Isisford, while further west 63mm fell at Goodwood Station, near Boulia.

Charleville in the state's south-west also recorded its highest daily rainfall total for June, with 80mm falling in one day.

Forecaster Michael Knepp said falls in excess of 100mm were also recorded east of Warwick and Kingaroy had 50mm.

But he said Charleville was the stand-out.

"Around 80 millimetres on Saturday into Sunday and then 10 millimetres yesterday, so they almost received almost 100

millimetres over the weekend and that's probably the are we saw the highest rainfall out west," he said.

More than 125mm fell on Wansey Downs, west of Augathella.

Grazier Fred Bryant said it was fairly widespread.

"Both sides of us appear to be that 86 to 100mm, and my brother is south of Mungalla and I think he got 65mm," he said.

A number of western roads remain closed.

BoM also said Townsville in the north had its wettest June day in more than two decades.

Areas such as Black River and Bluewater recorded 53mm of rain.

However, forecaster Mario Torrisi said it was unlikely to alleviate Townsville's water shortage, with levels at the Ross River dam remaining steady at 23 per cent.

"It wouldn't have affected the supply too significantly unfortunately those totals," he said.

"If it had rained more or heavier around the dam catchment, would have been a different kettle of fish."


- ABC

© ABC 2016

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