Queensland and NSW battered by coastal storm

Parts of Australia’s eastern coast dealt with another bout of heavy rains and flash floods, according to a news.com.au report, with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issuing severe weather warnings in southeast Queensland and northern NSW last Friday.

The BOM’s warnings placed a 1000km stretch of coast along Queensland and NSW under a “hazardous surf warning,” said the news.com.au report, adding that there was also a minor flood warning issued from the Stanley River to the Somerset Dam.

Additionally, forecasts placed winds around Fraser Island, Stradbroke and Moreton Islands and parts of the Sunshine Coast at around 90 km/h, possibly peaking at 110 km/h.

Waves at Brisbane and Mooloolaba were also said to have exceeded 8m, with average heights at more than 4m.

The deluge in Queensland took the life of a man who was swept away by heavy floods while he was in his car. His body was discovered in Sandy Creek at Nanago, said the news.com.au report, which was under emergency alert due to flash flooding.

The BOM has previously alerted Australians on the possibility of a third La Nina pattern forming later this year. As such, residents along the flood-battered east coast were told to brace for more bad weather in the coming months.

The extreme weather events and widespread flooding that inundated parts of Queensland and NSW this year has led to billions of dollars in insured damages, making it the “the third-costliest natural disaster in history,” according to the Insurance Council of Australia.