Motorists rescued by members of the public as rain inundates the south east

Queensland Police have issued a warning after multiple motorists were rescued from floodwaters by members of the public overnight. More than 150mm of rainfall has been recorded in Caboolture, north of Brisbane, as heavy rainfall sets in across large parts of the state. What's next? Motorists have been advised to be aware of the potential for flash flooding on Friday morning. Multiple people have been rescued from floodwaters overnight as heavy rainfall sets in across central and southern Queensland. More than 150mm was recorded at Caboolture, north of Brisbane, since midnight. Closer to Brisbane 106mm has so far been recorded at Eatons Hill and almost 50mm in the CBD. A severe thunderstorm warning for heavy rainfall and flash flooding has been issued by the bureau for Brisbane, Caboolture, Ipswich, Jimboomba, Boonah and Springbrook. Deputy Police Commissioner Chris Stream said people were rescued from floodwaters in two separate incidents. "In both cases they've been carried out by other members of the public and we are receiving a large amount of calls in regards to people being observed driving into floodwaters," Mr Stream said. Flash flooding will be the main risk over the coming days, he said. "There is minimal warning so you really need to know the risk where you are." Senior forecaster Steve Hadley said flash flooding in local creeks could occur over the next few hours. "Do have a look around you and keep your situational awareness high today," he said. A minor flood warning is in place for the Barcoo River while initial minor flood warnings have been issued for the Bulloo River and the Warrego River. Rain costing grain growers After parts of south-west Queensland were drought declared this July, the region has finally received a heavy downpour of rain, with ongoing storms expected for the coming days. Based on a property in Muckadilla, about 520 kilometres west of Brisbane, crop farmer Scott Loughnan said he had not seen rain this heavy since 2016. He said he recorded more than 160mm of rain on his property in the past week. "If we have another 40mm, I think that will double what rain we've had for the year," he said. "There's a lot of graziers around here, and it [the drought] was pretty dire for them. They were all making plans for feeding livestock and destocking, so this [rain] will make that a lot easier for them." Mr Loughnan said while the rain was a relief to many graziers, it came at a bad time for grain growers, who were in the middle of harvesting. "This has cost us personally, half a million dollars or more, in lost income," he said. "I think the damage has been done to the crops. [The] chickpeas might be salvageable, but I can't change the weather."