May-day: Severe weather to batter Gold Coast

Heavy rain totalling 200-400mm, damaging winds up to 90 km/h, dangerous surf with significant beach erosion, and tides 0.5m above normal are set to batter the Gold Coast and south-east Queensland on the first day of May 2015.

Ex-TC Marcia: When will she impact the Gold Coast?

8:50pm Update: Ex-tropical cyclone Marcia continues to move off the southeast Queensland coast with the heaviest rain bypassing most of the Gold Coast. However the possibility for damaging winds and dangerous surf conditions remain.

Un-easy calm as weakening Marcia heads for Gold Coast

Although rain has eased across the Gold Coast this evening, conditions are expected to deteriorate again during Saturday as a weakening Marcia moves into southeast Queensland.

Cyclone Marcia Track map and Forecast Wind
as at 7pm, Friday 20 February 2015

The hatches are battened, Marcia gets stronger

MTSAT Colourized Infrared

Satellite Image

8:33pm Thu 19 Feb 2015

The Gold Coast spent today waiting in long queues for sandbags and battening down for 2015's most severe weather event, whilst Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia is expected to make landfall on the central Queensland coast as a very destructive Category 5 cyclone.

Cyclone Marcia! Marcia! Marcia! is born

7:00pm 19/02 UPDATE: Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia now a Category 4 storm and expected to make landfall as a very destructive Category 5 cyclone. See the Cyclone Warning for more info.

Severe weather warning issued, local disaster group on alert

MTSAT Colourized Infrared
Satellite Image
8:33pm Tue 17 Feb 2015

The Gold Coast is now facing a quadruple threat on Thursday and Friday from damaging winds, heavy rainfall, abnormally high tides and dangerous surf as the low pressure system in the Coral Sea deepens and moves closer to Queensland.

Get Ready: Heavy rain, strong winds, dangerous surf on Thu/Fri

Up to 400mm rain may drench the Gold Coast by the end of the week, along with strong winds, high seas and dangerous surf conditions expected on Thursday and Friday.

Total Forecast Rainfall -
16 to 23 February 2015

Less rain Friday, but strong winds and powerful surf into the weekend

***This rain event was cancelled due to unexpected good weather :) ***
Whilst we're now only expecting 50mm on Friday and 15mm on Saturday, strong to near gale force winds will start on Friday and powerful surf conditions expected on Saturday and Sunday.

Rainfall Forecast for
 Friday 12 December 2014

Coldest morning for 2014 yesterday, severe storms possible today

After a week of cold mornings and sunny blue skies, the Gold Coast is forecast today (Saturday 28 June 2014) to have scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms this afternoon or evening, possibly severe with damaging winds.

Mid-winter storms? It's possible!

Showers with possible thunderstorms developing this afternoon across the Gold Coast and south-east Queensland.

Severe storms firing up over the Gold Coast

Damaging winds and heavy rainfall for the Gold Coast and south-east Queensland are expected over the next several hours as severe thunderstorms develop.

The City of Gold Coast's Disaster Management Unit provided the following information around midday (via Cr Glenn Tozer for Division 9)

A line of developing showers and storms was located on radar from Millmerran-Warwick-Kyogle at about 12pm today. This line may intensify as it reaches the coastline due to increased moisture and instability.

Storms in Northeast NSW have already been stronger than expected, and as such consider an increased risk of thunderstorm and severe thunderstorm activity in Southeast Queensland this afternoon. Pay particular attention to any large storm clusters that suddenly take a more northward move from the favoured E/NE trajectory as this would be a sign of severity.

Large hail and flash flooding are both reasonable risks today (Evans Head recorded 41mm in 10 minutes this morning). Damaging winds are also possible, though storms containing damaging winds are less likely to last as long (because the surface winds today are relatively weak and storms with strong winds in these environments tend to weaken quickly unless surface winds into the storm are also strong)

Check for the latest warning updates on our Twitter and Facebook pages.

Heavy rain, flash flooding risk for the Gold Coast

There's STILL more rain coming with 100-150mm rain forecast for the Gold Coast region on Friday. Add this to the 50-100mm we've already received there's a real risk of flash flooding and even minor flooding in rivers and catchments. Plus if that's not enough, in the wake of the clearing rain, there's the chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

Rainfall forecast for Friday 28 March 2014

SEQ braces for impact after wild Australia Day weather in Central QLD

100-125 km/h wind gusts and up to 300mm of rain are expected to impact areas of the Southeast Coast forecast district after a wild day of heavy falls and even tornadoes in the Wide Bay & Burnett region.

Another wet Australia Day for 2013

Up to 125-200mm of rain could dampen South-East Queensland's 2013 Australia Day weekend according to current long-term rainfall forecasts issued by the Bureau of Meteorology on Wednesday 23 January 2013.

Cover those boxes!

Patchy & thundery rain areas are set to spread eastwards tonight into Boxing Day tomorrow morning over south-east Queensland as an upper level trough currently moving over New South Wales and southern Queensland during Christmas day is expected to move over southeast Queensland on Wednesday.

Warm and possibly stormy Christmas

Gold Coasters will have a mostly fine Christmas day of 30 degrees with just the chance of a late shower or thunderstorm according to the official forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology as at 4:10pm.

Feelin' hot, hot, hot!

The Gold Coast will be the 'cool' place to be over the next two days as south east Queensland is set to swelter with the arrival of summer.

A high pressure system in the Tasman Sea is extending a weakening ridge along the east coast of Queensland. This high combined with a slow moving trough over western Queensland extends very hot northerly winds over Queensland's interior.

Monday's temperature forecast map

Huff and a puff just blew the storm away

This afternoon's line of storms looked mean as they approached the Gold Coast.

One of our friends, Debby, took this picture at around 3:30pm when the storm front came through overlooking Mt Nathan from Nerang, and sent it to us via email. She mentioned thunder was heard with high gusts of wind as it circled over at the time of taking the picture. (Thanks for the picture Debby!)

Similarly around 4:30pm the view looked dark from Bundall at The Arts Centre (second picture) when the radar showed a line if heavy rain crossing the hinterland.

However it appears most of the storms dissipated as they approached the coast, with light falls around most of the coast (slightly more on the northern coast). After all that, a little ray of sunshine left us with a beautiful sunset.

The forecast for Thursday is mostly fine and partly cloudy with the chance of a shower. Moderate to fresh S to SE winds, gusty at times throughout the day and a max of 27.

Severe weather warning for heavy rainfall

Parts of the southeast coast are expected to receive heavy rainfalls over the next 24-48 hours, with areas of the southern Capricornia and

the Wide Bay and Burnett districts also in for heavy falls.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a Severe Weather Warning at 4:50pm today, describing that a surface trough was located off the Capricornia coast and is expected to intensify and move south along the Wide Bay and southeast Queensland coasts during Tuesday.

Heavy rainfalls are expected to develop along the Capricornia coast and adjacent inland parts south of Gladstone in the early hours of Tuesday and extend southwards into remaining coastal areas and adjacent inland parts north of Brisbane during Tuesday. 24 hour rainfall totals in excess of 150 mm are possible. This rainfall may be intense at times, leading to localised flash flooding.

Locations that may be affected include Gladstone, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Gympie and the Sunshine Coast.

A Flood Warning has been issued for coastal rivers and streams from Noosa to Caboolture and adjacent inland catchments. (Source: BOM)

Whilst at this stage the Gold Coast hasn't been specifically listed, the computer generated rainfall forecast models over the next four days shows we could get between 50-100mm of rain tomorrow, Thursday and Friday - with Wednesday to get between 100-150mm. Add those figures up, and that's anywhere from 250-450mm of rain over the next four days!

Dick Whitaker, Chief Meteorologist at The Weather Channel says “Four-day ahead totals from today until Thursday show the rainfall bulls eye with falls of 100mm plus to be located over south-east Queensland and then from Friday to Monday over the New South Wales north and central coasts,”

Meanwhile, dangerous surf is also expected along the south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales coastlines later Monday through Tuesday into Wednesday as this low-pressure trough deepens and gradually moves south over coming days. (Source: The Weather Channel)

This is a timely reminder to avoid driving, walking or riding through flood waters, and keep clear of creeks and storm drains. If you require assistance, contact the SES on 132 500, or for life threatening emergencies call 000. Please keep safe people, don't take risks.

Gold Coast

Forecast for the rest of Monday

Cool and cloudy with a few showers, tending to rain at times. Moderate to fresh E to SE winds.

Precis:

A few showers.

Forecast for Tuesday

Cool and cloudy with showers, tending to rain at times. A possible thunderstorm. Moderate to fresh NE to SE winds.

Precis:

Showers, possible storm.

Min 20

Max 25

UV Alert from 7:40 am to 4:10 pm, UV Index predicted to reach 14 [Extreme]

Wednesday

A few showers, possible storm.

Min 20

Max 27

Thursday

Shower or two, possible storm.

Min 19

Max 28

Friday

Mostly fine, possible shower.

Min 19

Max 27

Saturday

Mostly fine, possible shower.

Min 19

Max 27

Sunday

Mostly fine, possible shower.

Min 20

Max 29

Monday

Mostly fine, possible shower.

Min 21

Max 29

Here comes the rain again...

Areas of coastal south-east Queensland could receive up to 100-200mm of rain over the next 8 days according to computer forecast models of rainfall from the 14th to 21st January 2012.