Heavy rain lashes parts of Queensland
A flood alert has been issued for parts of Queensland as heavy rain continues to intensify across the region. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology warned that overnight rainfall totals of more than 100mm (3.94 inches) are expected through Monday night, with flash flooding likely. Most of the beaches on the Sunshine and Gulf coast have been closed for the next 24 hours, with the rain creating dangerous surf conditions.
Queensland is one of the wetter states in north east Australia, but this amount of rainfall is unusual, especially for this time of year. Although the development of a front along the eastern coast is quite common, the amount of rainfall is not. The average monthly rainfall for June in Queensland is 66mm (2.6 inches), meaning some places will receive nearly double their monthly rainfall over the next 24 hours.
The unsettled weather is set to continue, at least until the middle of the week, with forecasters expecting the rainfall to intensify over the coming days.
