SE Queensland storm breaks October rainfall records
A freak storm dumped over 200mm of rain in three hours across south-east Queensland, breaking October rainfall records.
The storm tore through the region on Thursday, causing flash floods and hundreds of State Emergency Service calls. Nambour on the Sunshine Coast saw 401mm fall by Friday morning, smashing its old October record of 370.6mm.
Beerburrum nearby recorded 354.2mm, breaking its previous October high of 311.5mm. The Bureau of Meteorology had forecast rain but not the intensity.
Climate scientists say small-scale thunderstorms that dump 200mm in a day are driven by highly localised atmospheric processes and remain extremely difficult to predict precisely. Even tiny errors in forecasting mean the storm's path or location can be completely missed.
As one expert put it, a seven-day forecast today is about as accurate as a two-day forecast was 40 years ago.
- Over 200mm
- Rain in three hours
- 401mm (old: 370.6mm)
- Nambour October record
- 354.2mm (old: 311.5mm)
- Beerburrum October record
- Andrew King, University of Melbourne
- Expert
Why it mattersExtreme rainfall events like this are becoming harder to predict and their intensity is likely increasing due to climate change, leaving less time for people to prepare.
AustraliaAustralians in flood-prone areas need to know that even modern forecasting tools can miss severe thunderstorms until the last moment, so staying alert during storm season is essential.
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