Southeast Queensland faces thunderstorms and flood chaos as storms move north from NSW

Rescue teams have saved dozens of Australians from rising tides, including a six-week-old baby, while heavy storms continue to ravage the east coast of the country.

The fierce weather that pounded in NSW on Friday night moved north and pounded southeast Queensland on Saturday as severe thunderstorms hit the Darling Downs region west of Brisbane.

The number of rescues across Queensland grew to nine by Saturday night, compared to 34 the NSW State Emergency Service carried out the night before.

On Saturday evening, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning to residents of Goondiwindi near the NSW border to Chinchilla, inland on the Sunshine Coast.

The office said severe thunderstorms and possible flash floods could hit the region west of the Great Dividing Range on Saturday evening.

Queensland firefighters were called to nine rescue operations overnight when cars got stuck in rising floods

That warning was later canceled shortly before 9 p.m., with the BoM saying the “imminent danger of severe thunderstorms is over”.

Further severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued to farming communities in Darling Downs and the Granite Belt west of Toowoomba.

In southeast Lockyer Valley Queensland, about 230 mm of rain has fallen in the past five days.

Many cities recorded a month of rain in just hours on Friday night, resulting in nine flood rescues – including a six-week-old baby.

“Shortly after 10:40 p.m. police and emergency services were called to the Cunningham Highway in Warwick, where the water had risen half a meter over Freestone Creek Bridge,” said Queensland police.

Police broke into the fast flowing water to get two women and an infant out of a vehicle and bring them to safety.

Just 10 minutes later on Jack Smith Gully Road in Swan Creek, police formed a human chain with ropes and waded through “strong, waist-high currents” to rescue a woman through the driver’s windo.

Police strongly warned motorists after officers risked their own lives in a series of flood rescues across Darling Downs overnight

At the time, a dredger was being used to assist with a flood rescue in Queensland when rivers overflowed their banks

Previously, two RVs were rescued from deep water in Barney View, while two motorists were rescued from separate vehicles in Tingoora.

“As we can see from these overnight incidents, flash floods can occur very quickly and without notice, even on roads that you normally drive without any problems,” said Danny Shaw, superintendent of Darling Downs.

“It is not worth risking the lives of yourself, your loved ones and that of the emergency services.

“I urge local residents to use their common sense – move away from flooded streets and, if necessary, postpone the trip. If it’s flooded, forget about it. ‘

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A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the Darling Downs on Saturday evening

Before 7:00 a.m. on Friday, a man drowned in Hibernia.

A passerby noticed the dead man and the dead near Gregory Hwy, west of Rockhampton.

“Firefighters were called to a number of rapid water rescue operations overnight when cars got stuck in rising floods,” Queensland Fire and Emergency said in a statement.

Flooding wreaked havoc in central west NSW and parts of the Hunter Valley on Thursday and Friday

Police were involved in dozen of rapid water rescues in NSW and Queensland when the tides rose

“Never drive, run, or ride a horse through high water. If it’s flooded, forget about it, ”the FBI warned.

Locals should also “take shelter, preferably indoors” and stay away from fallen trees and power lines.

During the afternoon, flood watch warnings were issued for 17 river basins in south and east Queensland, expecting “widespread flooding”.

“A persistent trough over Queensland will bring more showers and thunderstorms to most of Queensland in the next few days.”