Go Back
Multiple injuries reported as likely tornado strikes western Georgia. Get the latest. Chevron right
Survivors try to pick up the pieces after devastating tornadoes in Mississippi. Get the latest. Chevron right

Ashburn, VA

64°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

64°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Video

Podcasts

Winter Center

News & Features AccuWeather Prime Astronomy Business Climate Health Recreation Sports Travel

News / Severe Weather

Shark swims in flood waters as Australian city becomes inundated

By Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Published Jan 9, 2022 12:44 PM EDT | Updated Jan 11, 2022 12:52 PM EDT

Copied
Live Coverage For all things weather, 24 hours a day.

The state of Queensland, Australia, saw powerful storms on Jan. 8 that led to severe inundation. Officials warned people to stay out of the water due to bull shark sightings.

After Tropical Cyclone Seth unleashed heavy rain in Australia last week, a damaged levee system failed which caused water to inundate downtown Maryborough, Queensland. If the flooding was not enough, a bull shark was spotted swimming through the murky waters. 

Tropical Cyclone Seth brought extremely heavy rainfall to the central and southeastern coast of Queensland late last week and into the weekend. Around 24 inches (600 mm) of rain fell in parts of southeast Queensland and sparked major flooding along the Mary River in and around Gympie and Maryborough. 

On Saturday, a valve within the levee protecting the central business district of Maryborough was damaged which lead to water rushing into downtown parts of the city. Emergency evacuation orders were promptly issued for more than 30 downtown city blocks.

Maryborough has a population of about 15,000 and is located about 130 miles (215 km) north of Brisbane.

FCR Council⚠️URGENT - All premises within Maryborough CBD have to be evacuated. The gates underneath the recently installed levee have been damaged and, as a result, the CBD will now bear the full impact of the flood. We urge people to stay out of the CBD.https://t.co/CelR8Cnetv pic.twitter.com/rpmvPD748Q

— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) January 9, 2022

There has already been one death attributed to the flooding, according to Yahoo News. Fifteen others remain missing, according to The Guardian.

As if the floodwaters were not enough, a video showed the fin of a small bull shark swimming through the waters at one of the city’s parks. 

"I do want to remind people about the dangers of floodwaters," said Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Mike Wassing. "We've had the shark in the park, we've got contaminated water, you've seen what can occur with roads in the local areas and how dangerous that is.”

Incredible amount of water flowing through #Maryborough at the moment. The Bureau predicts the Mary River will now reach 10.5 metres this afternoon - almost on par with 2013 levels. Anxious few hours coming up for locals. @9NewsQueensland @9NewsAUS pic.twitter.com/zdmq3QIBJV

— Jordan Fabris (@JordanFabris9) January 8, 2022

In nearby Gympie, Mayor Glen Hartwig said “very significant damage” had already been discovered, according to The Guardian. “I’ve been in this area for 40 years, and we haven’t seen anything like it,” he said.

Floodwaters were cresting along the Mary River around the Maryborough area Sunday evening, local time. Upstream areas are seeing floodwaters recede, which is expected to translate into the Maryborough area. Without significant additional rainfall in the forecast, AccuWeather meteorologists expect the flooding around Maryborough to slowly fall in the coming days.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

Meanwhile, the Northern Territory was bracing for impacts from Tropical Cyclone Tiffany on Tuesday night, local time.

Tiffany had lost wind intensity after it crossed the Cape York Peninsula on Monday evening, but now that it has spent time over the open water of the Gulf of Carpentaria, the cyclone has steadily regained strength. As of early Wednesday morning, local time, Tiffany is a Category 1 Tropical Cyclone, which is equivalent to a tropical storm in the Atlantic and East Pacific Ocean basins

Tiffany is forecast to make its second landfall in the country at midweek, possibly as a Category 2 Tropical Cyclone, and bring heavy rain and gusty winds across the Northern Territory.

See also:

Shocker: 194M bolts of lightning detected in the US last year
2021 sees 20 billion-dollar weather disasters, fewer than active 2020
Tranquil waterfall tourist spot suddenly rocked by deadly tragedy

For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform. 

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather News

How to recognize a 'radar-confirmed tornado'

Astronomy

Epic aurora danced over US, creating stunning light show

Mar. 26, 2023
Severe Weather

Different types of flash flooding and what causes it

Mar. 24, 2023
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

News & Features

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Top Stories

Severe Weather

Likely Georgia tornado leaves several injured

33 minutes ago

Severe Weather

Survivors still reeling after deadly Mississippi tornadoes

1 minute ago

Severe Weather

No rest for the weary: Tornado watch in effect for Southeast

1 hour ago

Winter Weather

New storm to bring heavy rain, strong winds, snow to California this w...

13 minutes ago

Severe Weather

What to do immediately after a tornado strikes your area

More Stories

Featured Stories

Live Blog

Sunset adds to beauty of cherry blossoms, one day before peak bloom

LATEST ENTRY

The night before peak bloom, a beautiful sunset

1 day ago

Astronomy

Stargazers treated to another celestial line-up

3 hours ago

Astronomy

Scientists uncover mystery behind alien interstellar object

2 days ago

AccuWeather Severe Weather Shark swims in flood waters as Australian city becomes inundated
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2023 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Do Not Sell My Data checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

FEEDBACK