Heavy rainfall has led to the closure of nearly 200 roads and severance of connections to multiple towns in Queensland, as the risk of flooding from already saturated rivers persists. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall across usually dry inland areas of central west Queensland, including regions such as the Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders, North West, Channel Country, and the Maranoa and Warrego districts.
By noon on Wednesday, around 200 road closures due to flooding had resulted in inland towns like Quilpie, Windorah, Jundah, Boulia, Bedourie, Eromanga, Adavale, and Birdsville becoming isolated due to floodwaters. Senior meteorologist Christie Johnson explained that a slow-moving trough was bringing tropical moisture inland, leading to widespread heavy rainfall on an already saturated landscape. The rainfall had been ongoing for days, with more expected to follow.
Johnson mentioned that significant amounts of rain had already been recorded, such as 230mm in Bogewong in central west Queensland and 203mm in Stonehenge within a 24-hour period. Winton, known as Australia’s dinosaur capital, set a new daily rainfall record of 158mm. On the Queensland coast, the heaviest rainfall was recorded near Townsville, with Rollingstone receiving 145mm.
Further rainfall of 70 to 120mm was predicted across parts of central and south-west Queensland on Wednesday, increasing the risk of flooding in already saturated catchments. Major flood warnings were in place for several rivers and creeks, with potential upgrades depending on conditions and warnings possibly extending into the weekend. By Friday and Saturday, the rain was expected to shift southward into south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales, including areas like Brisbane and Sydney, although the rainfall there would be less prolonged.
In stark contrast, Adelaide continued to experience a dry period, with only 13.2mm of rainfall recorded for the entire year so far, which was considered significantly below average. Additionally, Adelaide’s reservoirs were sitting at 39%, their lowest level in over 20 years. The bureau predicted dry and sunny conditions for Adelaide in the coming week.
In Perth, temperatures remained well above average and were expected to stay in the high 30s on Wednesday and Thursday, with similarly warm conditions forecast to continue until Saturday. Australia’s land surface has warmed by 1.5°C since 1910, according to the bureau, and the climate crisis has contributed to the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/26/queensland-weather-forecast-bom-rain-road-closures
