The record-breaking rain over Australia’s east coast has flooded towns and cities in Queensland and New South Wales, submerging thousands of homes and leaving at least 21 people dead.
After inundating Brisbane, Gympie, Lismore and Ballina, the rain system headed south, leading to flooding in greater Sydney, the Hunter and the Central Coast.
Here you can see maps and charts that show the extreme rainfall that has fallen across Queensland and NSW, with historically high totals in southern Queensland, particularly.
This map shows rainfall and flood-affected areas in the greater Sydney region, with the total weekly rainfall up to 8 March.
This flood map shows Brisbane, Queensland and northern NSW, with total rain in the week up to 3 March.
The chart below shows the river height in key areas affected by flooding, and how they compare to height markers that indicate minor, moderate and major flooding. Please note that you should check the Bureau of Meteorology or SES in your area if you think you might need to evacuate rather than relying on this chart.
Toggle the menu to see the water levels of the Hawkesbury, Brisbane, Wilsons and Mary rivers.
The rainfall in Queensland has occurred on an unprecedented scale in some areas. Brisbane, for example, has had the wettest summer on record, with rainfall data going back to 1899 at the Alderley meteorological station.
The chart below shows how the cumulative rainfall for 2021-22 compares with long-term averages. The purple shaded section indicates wetter than average years, so if the red line for 2021-22 goes above this, it indicates an unusually high level of rainfall (the top 10% of years by total rainfall).
Toggle the menu to see the cumulative rainfall in Parramatta, Brisbane, Gympie, Lismore and Maryborough.
We will update this page with new data and information as it becomes available.
