Massive downpours hit northeastern Australia

Days of heavy rain have left parts of northern Queensland, Australia, under water.

Flood watches remained in force on Monday as severe thunderstorms continued to cause flash flooding across the region.

The heaviest rain stretched from Mackay to Cooktown in the state's far north, with some areas amassing around 300mm of rain over the past few days.

Mount Jukes, which is just 36km to the north of Mackay, had the highest 24-hour rainfall total of the weekend with 252mm of rain up to 0900 on Saturday morning. This has been the town's wettest three-day spell since February 2009.

Sarina, located 37km to the south of Mackay, recorded 237mm during the same period.

These totals easily surpass the heaviest rainfall totals seen in the area this wet season - much of that rain fell in under six hours.

The Mackay Met Office recorded 108mm of rain on Saturday morning, followed by 58mm on Sunday and 23mm on Monday.

The heaviest rain will continue to drift further north and gradually fade out over the Cape York Peninsula, but it will be some time before the floodwaters finally recede.
Source: Al Jazeera
8/2/16
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