Source : Perth Now news
Large parts of Queensland have copped a drenching with more rain to come, but predicted heavier downpours in Brisbane have given the city a swerve.
Big falls of up to 250mm were recorded in parts of the Gold Coast, however, as rain spread north and inland.
The state has avoided severe flooding, but police have issued a warning after rescuing five people caught out by rising waters covering roads.
The rain band pushed north from the Gold Coast past Brisbane, onto the Sunshine Coast and into the Wide Bay Burnett region on Friday and into Saturday, with top falls of up to 160mm, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Inland areas also experienced heavy falls that have since eased off, bureau information officer Daniel Hayes told AAP, saying the downpours were not as widespread as they could have been.
“Thankfully, not everybody received 100mm to 200mm of rainfall,” he said.
In north Queensland, the Townsvile region had heavy falls, while potential downpours were expected in the state’s northwest.
Showers were forecast across many parts of Queensland on Saturday, picking up on Sunday but less likely to trigger flash flooding, Mr Hayes said.
Waters have stayed largely below flood levels in the past two days.
A minor flood warning remains in place for the Burrum River at Howard in the Wide Bay-Burnett region for overnight Saturday into Sunday.
Police have urged motorists not to drive through floodwaters after five people were rescued from cars trapped on inundated roads in the Fraser Coast and North Burnett region.
A 63-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man were rescued and taken to hospital with minor injuries after they were caught in floodwaters at Didcot on Friday evening, police said on Saturday.
Later on Friday night, emergency services were called to Bunya Creek, where a 56-year-old woman was caught in floodwaters along with two men, aged 25 and 26, who had entered the water to rescue her.
“The woman was able to be removed from the vehicle however, all three became trapped in fast-flowing water,” police said.
The three were rescued and the woman was taken to Hervey Bay Hospital for observation.
“Police would like to remind all drivers that driving through floodwater puts not only yourself and your vehicle at risk, but emergency responders,” police said in a statement.
The clean-up has begun in Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, after the usually dry Todd River flooded early on Thursday.
The surging waters prompted multiple flood rescues including an 11-hour operation to save a woman clinging to a tree beside the swollen river.
More than 200 evacuees remain in a pavilion at the Darwin Showgrounds waiting for waters to recede at Daly River, about 220km southwest of the territory capital.
The river remains at a moderate flood level and it could be many days before authorities deem it safe for residents to return.
