A person walks in Centennial Park as freezing rain falls in Nashville, Tennessee
A person walks in Centennial Park as freezing rain falls in Nashville, Tennessee GETTY IMAGES / Brett Carlsen

The Bureau of Meteorology warned that parts of inland Australia could receive a "year's worth" of rain, as severe thunderstorms bring heavy rainfall and wild weather.

Meanwhile, a heatwave continues to impact the other side of the country.

A thunderstorm warning has been issued for Queensland's interior regions, with the heaviest rainfall expected between Innisfail and Townsville from Sunday evening to Monday morning.

The bureau's senior meteorologist, Dean Narramore, said, "It's going to be a wet and soggy week for many inland areas. We've seen falls of 50 to 150mm over the last 24 hours, and we do have severe weather warnings, flood watches and flood warnings current for all different parts of Queensland," News AU reported.

The wild weather will continue until Tuesday morning as a low-pressure system develops inland, as per the bureau. Some areas, including Northern Goldfields, Upper Flinders, North West, Central West, Channel Country, and Maranoa and Warrego, could receive up to 200mm of rain.

Flood warnings have been issued across several rivers. A major flood warning is in place for the Bulloo River, while moderate flood warnings have been issued for the Bohle River, Haughton River catchment, Georgina River, and Eyre Creek.

Minor flood warnings are also in effect for the Herbert, Tully, Thomson, and Barcoo Rivers, as well as Cooper Creek. Some parts of inland Queensland could receive up to 400mm of rain in just a few days.

"In some places, we're looking at six or nine months' worth of rainfall, and if we do get some of those heavier falls inland – 300mm or 400m – which would be isolated in some areas, that could be almost a year's worth of rainfall," Narramore said.

Heavy rainfall and flooding have affected the Northern Territory's south, eastern interior, and northern South Australia. Birdsville, Queensland, recorded 70mm of rain in 24 hours, doubling its monthly average and marking the highest total in five years.

Coober Pedy, South Australia, received 30mm, three times its monthly average and the highest in two years. Meanwhile, Western Australia is experiencing an extreme heatwave, with temperatures reaching over 40°C in southwestern areas and the high 40s in Gascoyne.

Overnight lows remain above 20°C, making the prolonged heatwave unusual for this time of year. City Weather Forecasts:

  • Brisbane – Cloudy, 29°C, chance of showers.
  • Sydney – Cloudy, 27°C, chance of showers and thunderstorms.
  • Melbourne – Partly cloudy, 22°C, slight chance of rain.
  • Adelaide – Sunny, 29°C.
  • Perth – Clear skies, 38°C, northeasterly winds.
  • Hobart – Mostly sunny, 23°C, chance of rain.
  • Canberra – Partly cloudy, 29°C, slight chance of rain.
  • Darwin – High chance of showers, 31°C, possible thunderstorms.
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