A multi day rain and storm event impacting southeast Queensland continues into Saturday 24 October 2026.
Himawari satellite loop (infrared) · 9:00am AEST – 8:20am AEST · Imagery: JMA Himawari via NASA GIBS
Bureau radar loop, Longreach · 9:00am AEST – 8:55am AEST · Radar data: Bureau of Meteorology (CC-BY 4.0)
This event was expected however, some of the rainfall totals that has occurred to date has far exceeded the initial forecasts that were made by the Bureau of Meteorology.
The event was widespread with rain and shower activity extending further south into New South Wales and reaching as far south as Sydney but rainfall totals were not exceptional.
During the period 9 am Wednesday morning to 9 am Friday morning covering two days, rainfall totals across parts of southeast Queensland reached or exceeded 200 mm on both days at a few locations.
There were instances of flooding including flood rescues being made due to the exceptional October rainfall that fell.
The event has occurred during an El Nino year and such rainfall has broken a dry period. For the 24 hours to 9 am Thursday morning, some of the highest rainfall totals include:
- Caboolture WTP and Sheep Station Creek – 263 mm.
- Round Mt Reservoir – 247 mm.
- Caboolture (Pumice Stone Road) – 217 mm.
- Burpengary (Matthew Crescent) – 215 mm.
- Poona Dam HW – 178 mm.
Across Brisbane city, rainfall totals ranged from 50 to 99 mm with isolated totals just topping 100 mm for the same period.
- Across the hills to the immediate west of the Gold Coast – 100 to 160 mm fell.
Moderate to heavy falls extended into the far northeast corner of New South Wales with numerous weather stations receiving 50 to 99 mm but certainly not fully matching the amounts that fell further north.
For the 24 hours to Friday morning, isolated rainfall totals again topped 200 mm being:
- Diddillibah – 207 mm.
- Poona Dam – 191 mm.
- Nambour – 186 mm.
- Nambour Daff – 178 mm.
Such rainfall totals (Cumulative totals exceeding 300 mm) is not common during October and certainly not common during an El Nino year. This is another example of a major rain event that is unusual for an El Nino year and spring 2026 across Eastern Australia.
