The post High tides predicted as south-east Queensland endures more wild weather appeared first on TodayHeadline.
Coastal regions across south-east Queensland are being told to prepare this morning for tides up to 30 centimetres higher than usual king tides, following days of severe weather across the state.
Key points:
- Torrential rainfall experienced across the south-east will ease today, the Bureau of Meteorology says
- Seqwater says Little Nerang and Wappa dams are over capacity and spilling
- The low-pressure system is expected to move inland in the coming days, offering some hope for drought-stricken farmers
Parts of the state have recorded hundreds of millimetres of rainfall since Friday, and winds up to 100 kilometres per hour have been reported.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said it expected the torrential rainfall experienced across much of the state’s south-east over the weekend to ease today, but severe weather warnings for further inundation had been issued for areas from Wide Bay to the New South Wales border.
Emergency authorities have fielded more than 1,000 calls for help during the extreme weather in south-east Queensland.
BOM forecaster Dean Narramore said the system was likely to deliver more falls of between 50mm to 150mm today.
“We’re still expecting widespread shower and thunderstorm activity, but not the widespread torrential rainfall that we’ve seen over the weekend,” he said.
How to plan for flooding
If you could be cut off by floodwaters, make preparations. ABC Emergency has put together a list of things you should do if you are affected.
Read more
He said tides up to 30cm higher than typical king tides could cause further inundation along the coast.
“High tide tonight and again tomorrow is somewhere we could see low-lying inundation, and some locations could approach or exceed the highest astronomical tide of the year by up to 20 or 30cm,” Mr Narramore said.
“[There is] still some concern around for the next 24 hours on the foreshore — Wynnum and south-eastern part of Brisbane, also canals and property inland from Broadbeach, and also on Stradbroke and Moreton islands — on those exposed beaches.
“This has been a major coastal erosion event for parts of south-east Queensland and particularly into parts of north-eastern New South of Wales.”
Landslide closes road on Mount Tamborine
Meanwhile, Queensland police last night said Tamborine Mountain Road at Mount Tamborine in Queensland’s Scenic Rim region had been closed due a serious landslide.
The road was expected to be closed for a significant time and motorists were asked to avoid the area.
Upper Springbrook was the wettest place in Queensland over the weekend, recording more than 800mm in four days.
How to plan for a storm
ABC Emergency has put together a checklist for you to ensure that you are prepared for storms and their aftermath.
Read more
Seqwater said Little Nerang Dam in the Gold Coast Hinterland and Wappa Dam on the Sunshine Coast were over capacity and spilling.
Angie Green, who operates a cooking school in the Springbrook National Park, said her property had recorded more than 1,000mm of rain since Saturday night.
“Steady and hard and long, pelting down rain, the wildest winds,” she said.
“There were trees down on the road … we’ve lost half of our garden down the driveway and out through the waterfall, so that will all have to be replaced — a lot of mulch, a lot of stone, trees down, a lot of branches.”
‘Shut the windows and ride it out’
Ms Green’s property has been without electricity since Sunday morning. She said there was a lot that would need to be cleaned up.
“We went for a walk around after it sort of stopped raining and we’re just like, ‘Woah, this is going to take us ages,'” she said.
But Ms Green said it was the sort of weather locals expected.
“I’m kind of used to it now so … all we do is go to bed, shut the windows and ride it out,” she said.
“A couple of trees fell on the house. You’re just like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ll check that out tomorrow.'”
The Department of Environment and Science (DES) has closed the Springbrook, Tamborine, Burleigh Heads and Lamington national parks, as well as the Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk and David Fleay Wildlife Park until Wednesday.
Farmers need ‘good, solid wet season’
The low-pressure system is expected to move inland in the coming days, offering a glimmer of hope for farmers in drought-declared regions.
Want more local news?
We offer tailored front pages for local audiences in each state and territory. Find out how to opt in for more Queensland news.
Read more
AgForce president Georgie Somerset said while crops in parts of the Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Sunshine Coast Hinterland had enjoyed a boost, broadacre and livestock operations further north and west needed rain.
“[It’s needed] right through up to central Queensland and that flows into avocados, citrus — all sorts of things that are impacted if we don’t get enough of a recharge of our irrigation over summer,” Mr Somerset said.
“I’m not sure people know how low our irrigation supplies are.
“There are crops in the ground like cotton that could really do with a drink — certainly we’ve got some sorghum in already, but certainly across horticulture.
“We are really hopeful and what we’d like is about 50 millimetres now and another 50 millimetres in about a week’s time.
Could we space it out and not have 400mm and then nothing?
“It won’t just be used over summer. It’ll still be used over the months to come and that’s what’s important about getting a good, solid wet season.”
The post High tides predicted as south-east Queensland endures more wild weather appeared first on TodayHeadline.