Thunderstorms brought intense rainfall to parts of Queensland during Thursday and their slow-moving nature contributed to flash flooding.
Humidity levels have been rising across Qld for a number of days, with a deep layer of moisture-laden air flowing in from off the warm waters of the Coral Sea. An indication of this build of humid air was Brisbane's minimum of 19 degrees on Thursday morning, which was the highest since April.
This build of moist air was crucial to producing the severe storms seen on Thursday. The moisture contributes to the powerful nature of the storms and also to the intense rainfall. When storms are slow-moving, this exacerbates the situation, with sustained downpours over the same spot creating areas of flash flooding.
The storms dumped 35mm of rain over Brisbane airport in the space of 1 hour on Thursday afternoon, while 63mm drenched Mt Cotton in just 30 minutes. 110mm hit Mt Alford in 2 hours. Hail was reported at Springfield, while a wind gust of 98km/h struck Emerald.
While the storms were easing on Thursday night, a renewed and potentially heavier burst of activity is expected for Friday and Saturday as a low pressure trough deepens over the state.
Humidity levels have been rising across Qld for a number of days, with a deep layer of moisture-laden air flowing in from off the warm waters of the Coral Sea. An indication of this build of humid air was Brisbane's minimum of 19 degrees on Thursday morning, which was the highest since April.
This build of moist air was crucial to producing the severe storms seen on Thursday. The moisture contributes to the powerful nature of the storms and also to the intense rainfall. When storms are slow-moving, this exacerbates the situation, with sustained downpours over the same spot creating areas of flash flooding.
The storms dumped 35mm of rain over Brisbane airport in the space of 1 hour on Thursday afternoon, while 63mm drenched Mt Cotton in just 30 minutes. 110mm hit Mt Alford in 2 hours. Hail was reported at Springfield, while a wind gust of 98km/h struck Emerald.
While the storms were easing on Thursday night, a renewed and potentially heavier burst of activity is expected for Friday and Saturday as a low pressure trough deepens over the state.
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