Full Breakdown
Severe Rainfall Swamps South-East Queensland, Prompting Flood Rescues and Raising Supercell Risk
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Heavy Rainfall and Flooding Across South-East Queensland
On October 23, 2026, a deep low-pressure system drenched south-east Queensland. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Sarah Scully reported that Caboolture and northern Brisbane suburbs—including Burpengary and Narangba—received up to 240 millimetres of rain in six hours. The Sunshine Coast’s Mount Tinbeerwah logged 99 mm in the 12 hours to 6 a.m. on Friday, while an inland storm dropped 116 mm on Mount Panorama before 7 a.m. The Scenic Rim area recorded 160 mm the previous day.
Emergency Response and Rescues
Police confirmed 418 State Emergency Service (SES) call-outs from 6:30 a.m. Thursday to 4 a.m. Friday, with two-thirds occurring Thursday morning. Call-outs were concentrated in Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan (?20) and the Gold Coast. Swift-water crews rescued stranded motorists, including a man trapped on a vehicle roof in Rocksberg and a pair winched from the Lower Portals track at Mount Barney. An ABC reporter and a bystander freed a driver from a sinking four-wheel-drive on Buchanan Road, Morayfield. Premier David Crisafulli told reporters the weather was “typical storm-season rain” and urged residents to “help a neighbour whenever required.”
Official Outlook and Future Threats
She also highlighted that saturated river catchments could raise the risk of both riverine and flash flooding as additional storms approach.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We’re not expecting the rainfall to be as intense or as widespread as we saw [on Thursday], but there’s still the chance for locations to pick up 40 to 60 millimetres with any thunderstorms that do form across the south-east coast,” — Sarah Scully — Sarah Scully, Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist.