Thunderstorms, heavy rain and flash flooding predicted for much of Australia

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected to impact most Australian states over the weekend, following an already wet week in Queensland. Flash flooding in south-east Queensland has prompted hundreds of SES callouts and the closure of numerous schools. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued nine flood warnings for south Queensland and now warns of severe storms, heavy rain and flash flooding across South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.

Senior meteorologist David Crock expects severe thunderstorms and heavy rain to affect central and eastern Queensland, including Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Roma, on Saturday. Similar storms could sweep through parts of Victoria, including Melbourne's eastern suburbs, and central and eastern South Australia. Heavy rain is forecast to develop in Tasmania overnight into Sunday morning.

The cold front is expected to move across NSW on Sunday, bringing severe thunderstorms to the west and north-eastern Victoria, as well as Sydney and Brisbane. This week, multiple areas in Queensland experienced more than twice their average October rainfall over a few days, with the Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Caboolture recording flash flooding and receiving up to 450mm of rain.

The persistence of this weather pattern has led to an unprecedented accumulation of rain across seven to 10 days in Queensland and northern New South Wales.