Queensland Man Dies in Boompa Creek After Four Days of Storms
A weather system dumped up to 439.4mm of rain on the state, forcing rescues of stranded campers and closing roads across the south and east.
By Lauren Foster ·
A man was declared dead in Smothering Creek on Boompa Road after emergency services responded to reports of an unresponsive person. Police received the call shortly after 11:00 a.m. on Monday. Investigators have begun examining the circumstances, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
The death occurred as an unusual weather system battered parts of Australia with repeated storms and heavy rain from Thursday through Monday. The system produced the heaviest four-day rainfall totals in several regions. Blackdown Tableland, located near Rockhampton, recorded 439.4mm of rain by early Monday. Lower Springbrook, near the Gold Coast, measured 325.2mm, and Nambour, near the Sunshine Coast, received 314.2mm. Brooweena, inland of K'gari, logged 299.6mm.
In the Southern Downs region, six campers were stranded at a public campground in Leyburn by rising flood waters. Queensland Fire and Rescue Swiftwater crews arrived at 7:45 a.m. on Monday to assist. By 11:15 a.m., the team had safely transported three men, aged 71, 47, and 26, and two women, aged 68 and 26. Police reported that none of the campers sustained physical injuries during the rescue.
The flooding forced road closures in the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane. Police reported flash flooding at Laidley Creek and Glenore Grove on Monday. Flood warnings remain active for Warrill Creek and the Bremer River in the Lockyer Valley. The Macintyre and Moonie rivers in the south, as well as the Mary River near the Sunshine Coast, also have current warnings. Western Queensland remains on alert with warnings for the Warrego, Bulloo, and Barcoo rivers.
Meteorologist Angus Hines described the driving force behind the weather as a combination of widespread rain bands, heavy cloud cover, and cooler temperatures. He noted that the storms were driven by conditions in the higher parts of the atmosphere. On Sunday evening, a fast-moving storm band linked thunderstorms from southern Queensland to Bass Strait. Hines said the system was pushed eastward by strong winds high in the atmosphere before the steering wind tapered off overnight over the Darling Downs.
The Bureau of Meteorology expects conditions to shift toward typical spring patterns as the week progresses. Hot and humid days are forecast to give way to more subdued afternoon showers and storms.
Source: The Guardian
