Wild weather moves to central Qld

28 Jan 2012, 5:58 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Three people have been rescued from two cars on a flooded road on the Gold Coast. (AAP)

Three people have been rescued from two cars on a flooded road on the Gold Coast. (AAP)

Central Queensland is bracing for thunderstorms and damaging winds, very heavy rain and flash flooding as an intense monsoon low moves south.

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Severe weather is threatening central Queensland, with residents told to expect thunderstorms with damaging winds, very heavy rain and flash flooding.

The Bureau of Meteorology warning comes as an elderly couple stranded by floodwater in northwest Queensland were found safe and well.

The pair are being flown by helicopter to Cloncurry, a Department of Community Safety spokeswoman said.

Swift water technicians searching via helicopter located the pair at Eastern Creek, east of Cloncurry.

The region was hammered by heavy downpours on Friday night and Saturday morning.

Falls of up to 200mm in 24 hours sparked emergency calls from several motorists trapped by floodwater.

Now residents of central Queensland are bracing for wild weather as the monsoon low moves south.

Emerald, Clermont, Blackwater and Moranbah have been warned to brace for thunderstorms and flash flooding, and a severe weather warning is still in place for the region from Longreach to Charleville.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Andrea Peace says the low is weakening but could still bring overnight thunderstorms and falls of up to 100mm to the region.

"The low's going to interact with what we call a jet, which is an area of stronger winds, and we'll probably see some thunderstorm development," Ms Peace told AAP.

Earlier in the northwest a truck driver managed to rescue a family who spent Friday night trapped between two rising creeks.

Authorities were alerted to the family of six's predicament 100km south of Cloncurry off the Landsborough Highway at 1.30am (AEST) on Saturday, a Department of Community Safety spokeswoman said.

Rescuers were hampered by floodwater and severe weather before a truck driver finally managed to get the family to safety later on Saturday morning.

Four other cars became stuck in floodwater at Bargara, Moore Park, Banana and Julia Creek, but the occupants were able to get to safety before swift water rescuers arrived.

In the 24 hours to 9am (AEST) on Saturday, Cloncurry recorded a whopping 196mm of rain and Gereta, a property north of Mt Isa, copped 206mm of rain.

Residents of the southern Queensland town of Roma escaped a predicted flood on Saturday but authorities are monitoring the approaching trough.

"If it comes through we need to be ready for possible high winds and very heavy rainfall up to 150mm," Maranoa Mayor Robert Loughlin told AAP.

Ms Peace said atmospheric instability associated with the low meant widespread showers and rain were forecast to continue in Queensland's west and northwest for most of next week.

Meanwhile, conditions in the sodden southeast eased after deluges drenched the region for much of the past five days.

The wild weather had sparked home evacuations, school closures, and dozens of emergency calls when cars became stuck in floodwater.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the light rain and showers will continue to Tuesday, with a possible burst of heavy rain on Sunday night.

The weather is predicted to clear in the southeast on Wednesday.

Water releases from Seqwater's Wivenhoe and Somerset Dams are expected to continue until Monday unless more major rainfall occurs.

Gates at Brisbane's North Pine Dam were closed on Saturday morning.

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