Queensland Braces for More Wild Weather as Flood Warnings Issued

Severe weather warnings have been issued for Queensland as the state braces for another day of heavy rain and potential severe storms. The Mary River at Tiaro, north of Gympie, is rising rapidly and could reach major flood levels.

Flood warnings issued across Queensland

Flood gauges show the Mary River has risen rapidly above the moderate level, following days of heavy downpours. In the past week, parts of the Mary River catchment have experienced over 300 millimetres of rain, while some areas of the Sunshine Coast have seen upwards of 400mm.

Gympie Regional Council Mayor Glen Hartwig said he was monitoring the river levels "very closely".

"We've seen the rivers rise a bit quicker than what was expected or anticipated," he said. "There's water over roads everywhere, there's heavy downpours coming and going."

Cr Hartwig warned that the Kidd Bridge outside Gympie could potentially go underwater.

"We're finding that the Mary River predictability is a little bit different to what we normally face," he said. "If you don't need to go out in the car, stay at home and enjoy some time with friends and family."

Severe weather system to bring heavy rain and hail

The Bureau of Meteorology warns a severe weather system over the state's inland area will move east today, shifting to the south-east by Monday and bringing more heavy rain. Senior forecaster Felim Hanniffy said there was still a risk of severe storms over the next few days.

"There's still multiple days of storms and potentially severe storms to come, with Monday probably the peak day in terms of south-east Queensland risk," he said. "And it will be the trifecta – that's large hail, damaging winds and heavy rainfall."

Mr Hanniffy also warned of an outside chance of very dangerous storms around the south-east.

"The air is so moist that it wouldn't take much to generate some localised heavy falls, so that risk continues," he said. "Some areas have had three times their monthly rainfall [in October]."

He added that Tuesday is expected to be calmer, but the severe storm risk may not be over until Thursday.

Flood situation stabilising in Clermont

A Watch and Act alert is in place for people in the Central Highlands around the Theresa Creek Dam catchment area. Isaac Regional Council Mayor Kelly Vea Vea said the situation in Clermont was starting to settle.

"In the Clermont area, we know that things are starting to settle," she said. "Yesterday there was a lot going on after a lot of heavy rain at Theresa Creek Dam. We had 157mm within 24 hours."

Cr Vea Vea thanked residents who provided "local intelligence" and alerted the council in advance about rainfall upstream.

"They were on the front foot letting us know what was coming, so that enabled us to also get on the front foot and put out some alerts," she said.

There are also moderate flood warnings in place for the Warrego River and the Weir River.