Day-long deluge a record

Jannette Parke | 9th February 2010

THE Gympie region was lucky enough to receive good follow up rain without the deluge and damage that many areas of south-east Queensland experienced.

WATER WATCHERS: John and Rhiannon Merz check out the water level at the Mary River weir just south of Kidd Bridge yesterday

Craig Warhurst

WHILE parts of south-east Queensland received some of their highest rainfalls in almost a century, the Gympie region was lucky enough to receive good follow up rain without the deluge and damage that many areas experienced.

In the 24 hours to 9am yesterday, heavy falls were recorded for Maleny – 106mm, 103mm at Kandanga and 139mm at Cooran, but most other areas averaged around the 40mm mark. There was enough rain in the catchment areas to bring Borumba dam to an official capacity of 100.5 per cent and Cedar Pocket dam to 105.6 per cent as of yesterday afternoon.

Forecasters yesterday warned of major flooding along the Comet River at Rolleston in central Queensland.

A flood warning was also issued for coastal streams from Gympie to the New South Wales border.

The Mary River at Gympie Weir was 5.4m at 2.30pm yesterday and rising but was considered below minor flooding risk.

The weather bureau says the drenching that hit the southeast is over, and only scattered showers are expected today.

Meanwhile authorities are assessing flood damage caused by the weekend deluge across southeast Queensland, with concerns raised about animal deaths.

While two people died in flooding-related incidents over the weekend, the RSPCA estimates around 100 cattle and a large number of horses drowned in the Coomera River after the northern end of the Gold Coast received more than 360mm of rain in 24 hours over the weekend – the most intense day-long deluge in a century.