Queensland Australia Flash Flooding in Toowoomba

[rogeressig]

Radar of the severe deluge that caused the flash flood
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Footage showing flash flood hitting.
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[rdale]

Live audio of the police/fire response is at http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?feedId=4400

 

[Stephen Levine]

Thank you, Roger for the radar loop. It looks like a couple of those cells were rotating as they moved inland. Was there lots of wind, lightning and thunder with this storm, any hail, or just heavy rain?
My heart goes out to you and your City for the terrible inconvenience that have resulted from the floods.

 

[rogeressig]

howdy, not sure if there was much wind exactly, I don't think so. Just obscene rainfall. I live far from there, another state. I'm just amazed with how much water rushed down, the place is 2300 feet above sea level on a mountain range.

 

[Jeff Duda]

How much rain fell that caused that flooding? Also, is the top post showing 3 loops of the same cell, or are those separate instances?

 

[Michael Thompson]

How much rain fell that caused that flooding? Also, is the top post showing 3 loops of the same cell, or are those separate instances?

There are two major flood issues, but both caused by humid NE winds from the coral sea, being triggered by an upper level low. There was a distinct convergence line over the area.

First the flash flood at Toowoomba which sits atop of a steep escarpment. On the day of the flood 120mm (6in) was recorded, but half of that fell in one hour. Not rare rain rates, even for Toowoomba which is no stranger to supercells with tennis ball hail (although this event was not that), but on top of over 400mm (16in) for the January so far everything was already saturated. This water was joined by possible heavier falls on higher parts of the escarpment and disseminated a small town in the valley below. This is where most people are missing.

The second flood concern is still playing out and is major flooding of the Brisbane River, Up to 30,000 homes will go under in 18 -24 hours. The Brisbane River has a bowel shaped catchment surrounded by mountains on near all sides except east. It would have easily handled the flash flooding volume, but the wider catchment has had almost continuous rain for a week. Some falls in the NE parts of the catchment have exceeded 800mm (32in) in the past week, with similar total amounts for December 2010. All this on top of the wettest spring on record.

The scary thing is that there is still 3 months of cyclone season to go yet.

 

[rogeressig]

yes its the same loop from different radar views.