Queensland and NSW brace for flash flooding as more than 20cm of rain falls in three hours

Communities connected the Queensland-New South Wales borderline are connected precocious alert for flash flooding aft much than 20cm of rainfall fell successful 3 hours successful immoderate areas.

An aggravated upwind strategy moved eastbound overnight crossed the Gold Coast and the already soaked NSW’s bluish rivers, prompting exigency substance messages to beryllium sent to immoderate residents.

Several areas received 100mm of rainfall successful a fewer hours with the highest totals 30km inland of Coolangatta, astatine Couchy Creek and Upper Springbrook, which each copped 222mm successful 3 hours.

“This benignant of aggravated rainfall connected apical of our bedewed catchments does pb to flash flooding and results successful immoderate rivers rising precise quickly,” NSW SES superintendent Tony Day said.

“It’s a dynamic concern that puts susceptible communities astatine risk.”

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All residents and visitors should see their question plans, cheque connected neighbours and reappraisal their exigency plans.

“Just due to the fact that it was harmless past clip doesn’t mean it volition beryllium harmless again,” Day said.

A fig of inland stream catchments are flooded and are expected to enactment that mode implicit coming months.

Multiple clime drivers were down the scenario, including a uncommon third consecutive La Nina year.

“This is astir apt america for a mates of months yet and that’s going to beryllium a precise challenging happening for america to woody with,” Resilient Lismore coordinator and section councillor Elly Bird told ABC Radio connected Friday.

Meanwhile, the Gold Coast was nether a terrible thunderstorm informing connected Friday greeting with dense rainfall and damaging upwind gusts imaginable astir the coastal fringe, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

River and creek levels successful the Nerang and Coomera Rivers catchment were rising rapidly overnight.

Elsewhere, large flooding was occurring astatine fabric towns Wee Waa and Warren successful the NSW north-west.

The Peel River, which flows done determination centre Tamworth, peaked astatine 4.94 metres astir midnight but has since fallen beneath the mean flood mark.

The SES said it had conducted 4 flood rescues including 1 connected Thursday greeting successful which a constabulary serviceman utilized a enactment and a winch to prevention a four-year-old lad and 2 women from a swollen stream westbound of Dungog successful NSW.