Arabic version: إغلاق مدارس في كوينزلاند بعد فيضانات مفاجئة

According to ABC News, more than a dozen schools remain closed across south-east Queensland after heavy rain triggered flash flooding and hundreds of calls for help on Thursday. The Bureau of Meteorology said conditions were expected to continue easing across the south-east, although isolated falls of up to 40 millimetres remained possible.

The State Emergency Service received 277 call-outs between 6am and 2pm on Thursday, followed by another 141 between 2pm Thursday and 4am Friday. Two campers were winched to safety after floodwater cut them off at Mount Barney. Dozens of roads remained closed in regions north of Brisbane.

Emergency services also rescued a motorist stuck in floodwater in the Lockyer Valley overnight. A swift water rescue team brought the man to safety from Old Laidley Forest Hill Road after being called shortly before 4am. At Morayfield, a man whose four-wheel drive entered floodwater on Buchanan Road was rescued from his sinking car by ABC reporter Will Murray and local Daniel Hainey.

Rainfall totals were severe in several locations. Caboolture, north of Brisbane, recorded 203 millimetres in six hours on Thursday, while Morayfield and Burpengary each received more than 250 millimetres over 24 hours. The bureau issued initial minor flood warnings for the Maroochy River, Coochin Creek and Mooloolah River, warning that further rain could flood additional catchments and that riverine flooding remained a risk.

Bureau of Meteorology community information officer Daniel Hayes said widespread showers and thunderstorms were likely to continue across most of Queensland through Friday and into the weekend, but moderate to heavy falls would become more isolated. Lighter falls were expected in coming days before more widespread heavier shower and thunderstorm activity was forecast to return, initially through western Queensland on Sunday.