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Spring flooding to worsen across eastern states

Ben Domensino, Tuesday September 13, 2016 - 11:55 AEST

Parts of eastern Australia could be having one of their wettest springs on record by the middle of next week, less than three weeks into the season.

A multi-day rain and thunderstorm outbreak will plague Queensland and New South Wales during the next week, driven by a series of upper-level troughs crossing the country. Unusually warm seas surrounding northern and eastern Australia will provide these systems with excessive moisture, so rain will be heavy enough to cause flooding.

Birdsville in southwest Queensland is already having the wettest spring in five years after heavy rain at the beginning of the month. The town could see another 30-50mm during the next week. If this comes off it will be the town's 8th or 9th wettest spring on record, with data stretching back to the late 1800's. Birdsville is almost guaranteed to be having the wettest September on record in a week's time.

A number of other locations are expected to see their heaviest rain in a year in coming days, including Goondiwindi and Inverell. This is a notable feat considering Queensland just had their second wettest winter on record and New South Wales their third. Other town could see their heaviest September rain in close to a decade, including Moree and Roma.

Rain will spread across New South Wales and Queensland's southern and western inland districts today, with severe thunderstorms a risk in some areas.

On Wednesday, rain and thunderstorms will stretch from central Australia, through western and southern inland Queensland and into northern New South Wales. Again, severe thunderstorms are likely to be in the mix, most likely over southern inland Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Rain will increase over southern Queensland and northeast New South Wales on Thursday as an upper trough crosses the nation's interior. This looks to be the wettest day of the week for these areas, with falls likely to exceed 50mm.

A flood watch has been issued for the inland river valleys in New South Wales in response to the rain expected between Tuesday and Thursday this week. A number of flood warnings are also in place.

Friday looks like it will be a day of respite as a high pressure system drifts across the nation's east, allowing drier weather to return, but it won't last long. Yet another upper trough is expected to bring rain across both states on the weekend.

Looking ahead, a number of computer models are indicating that another, potentially more intense system will bring further rain and storms around Tuesday/Wednesday next week. It is too early to predict how much this system will bring, although by then flooding is likely to be a big problem across Australia's eastern inland.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2016

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