A weather system that has already claimed two lives is set to further drench the Queensland coast.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
The state's southeast is already reeling from a slow moving low pressure system that has dumped up to 600mm of rain in some regions this week.
Two Queenslanders have died in floods triggered by the trough, with a 54-year-old man killed when trying to ride a motorbike through rising water at Gympie and a 63-year-old woman's body found in a submerged car on the Sunshine Coast.
However the Bureau of Meteorology says more heavy rainfall and potentially "life threatening flash flooding" are set to peak on Friday in the state's southeast and possibly extend into northern NSW.
The BOM warned up to 300mm of rain may inundate the region where the trough crosses the east coast.
"Judging by satellite images the system is likely to impact the coast by Friday morning," BOM's Brooke Pagel told AAP.
"We don't know the exact location, whether it is Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast or down towards the NSW border.
"But because it is so slow moving, intense rainfalls are likely to be wherever it makes landfall so there is the risk of flooding as well."
The BOM on Thursday afternoon issued a severe weather warning from Maryborough to the NSW border, with the weather system sitting off the Sunshine Coast.
Heavy rain is not expected to ease in Queensland's southeast and northern NSW until Saturday due to the slow moving trough.
In NSW, the BOM forecast showers and potential flash flooding, moving from the state's northeast to the Northern Rivers region on Friday with falls of up to 100mm.
Kyogle and Grafton are bracing for about 160mm of rain.
A severe weather warning was issued on Thursday afternoon for NSW's Northern Rivers, mid-North Coast and Northern Tablelands regions.
Towns near Grafton and Ballina have already recorded around 425mm and 240mm of rainfall respectively.
Sydney has endured its wettest summer in 30 years with more than 120mm of rain over the last two days.
There is no end in sight, with the BOM saying there was a high chance of showers and a thunderstorm for Sydney this weekend.
There are NSW flood warnings for the Tweed and Bellinger Rivers as well as Wilsons River at Lismore, where water levels are likely to reach almost seven metres.
Australian Associated Press
