Flooding Rain Pounds Australia

Flash flooding has swept parts of northern Queensland after more than 20 inches of rain fell within two to four days.

Many roads were closed, including at least one major highway, the Australian ABC website said on Monday.

Rain continued falling heavily on Monday, and forecasters called for more heavy rain into Wednesday.

Extra swift-water rescue personnel were brought in, a regional rescue director said.

Heaviest rain, many spots having 250 to 500 mm (about 10 to 20 inches) since last Friday, pelted coastal Queensland from Cairns to Townsville and Mackay.

A 24-hour fall of 418 mm (16.5 inches) was registered at Black River north of Townsville, the ABC said. An automated rain gauge at another spot, Paluma, collected about 780 mm (almost 31 inches) of rain between Wednesday and Monday, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) website showed.

Meanwhile, another region, known as the Gulf Country, was also dealing with flooding sparked by the same tropical weather system.

The sparsely settled region bordering the Gulf of Carpentaria was washed by torrential rain unleashed by a tropical low between Saturday and Monday.

In Karumba, about 50 tourists were relocated from an inundated caravan park, the ABC said. Roads in the area were cut, as were five Gulf Country schools.

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