This reader photo taken by Reece Ireland of Gladstone shows Awoonga Dam on January 26. Source: Supplied
THE WEATHER bureau has warned of heavy rain and destructive winds of up to 125km/h for Brisbane from tonight as central Queensland is slammed by severe weather.
The bureau issued the alert this evening and warned of possible flash and riverine flooding.
In the next few days about 300mm of rain is expected in Wivenhoe Dam catchment, upstream of Brisbane, and coastal areas could get as much as 500mm.
Premier Campbell Newman said controlled releases from the dam are continuing and there is no doubt it will be able to cope with the influx of rainwater in the coming days.
"We can absorb that flood," he said.
The biggest risk will come from suburban creeks in the Gold and Sunshine Coast and greater Brisbane area.
This photo by Tannum Sands resident Ian Maynard shows the Boyne River rising rapidly. The water levels were well above the 2011 flood levels.
For latest on the tornadoes that struck the coast near Bundaberg, click here
Low and high voltage powerlines have been brought down by the chaotic weather, with an Ergon Energy spokesman warning that some in Bundaberg, the Bargara coast area and other parts of North Burnett could be without power for more than 48 hours.
"There are a few unknowns there as we're still doing an assessment of damage," he said.
"We have crews assessing the damage now and we're also mobilising extra resources."
He said there had been some "restoration work completed" but "quite a few areas had significant damage."
Energex spokesman Ben McConaghy said there were 2140 homes without power on the Sunshine Coast with the most, 1100, at Buderim. There are 320 homes without power at Maleny and 275 at North Maleny.
Gladstone is facing a dramatic new flood threat as two other towns in the region face an unprecedented deluge as ex-cyclone Oswald lingers over the region.
Torrential rain topped a metre in 48 hours and has swollen the Boyne River to two metres higher than the previous record.
This photo by Tannum Sands resident Ian Maynard shows the view downriver from Blackwell Street Tannum Sands towards the John Oxley bridge between Boyne Island and Tannum Sands.
About five metres of water is pouring over the spillway of the Awoonga Dam into the Boyne, just south of Gladstone.
Tannum Sands and Boyne Island, at the mouth of the Boyne River, narrowly escaped inundation on Saturday.
But they may not be so lucky when an extraordinarily high tide hits on Sunday morning.
"We're now getting ready for the next time when we think we'll have the biggest problem and that's at the high tide on Sunday morning," Gladstone Mayor Gail Sellers told AAP.
About 2000 people have been asked to evacuate.
There's been a dramatic rescue in Central Queensland after a teenager became caught in fast flowing flood-waters
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said a saddle dam off the Awoonga Dam is close to overflowing, which would put 500 homes in peril.
He said the government is considering mandatory evacuations.
"That's my main concern," he said.
Further south, a mini-tornado slammed into Bargara near Bundaberg, leaving at least two people badly hurt after their car was hit by a pine tree blown over during the storm.
A number of local buildings, including a supermarket, were reported to be badly damaged.
The flooding has swamped riverside walkways at Tannum Sands. PIC: Ian Maynard
Premier Campbell Newman said Gladstone and Bargara had been declared disaster areas.
In Gladstone, the region has had about 700mm in the last four days - and is bracing for another 200mm to 400mm in the next 24 hours.
Gallery: Queensland's wild weather
Coupled with an extraordinarily high tide tomorrow, authorities fear flooding around Tannum Sands and Boyne Island - areas which narrowly escaped inundation today - and they have ordered residents to leave the towns of Jambin and Goovigen as a water volume almost six times greater than their last flood approaches.
Gladstone
Gladstone and Bundaberg are on high alert for potential flooding tomorrow morning, with up to 400 millimetres of rain predicted over the next 24 hours.
Gladstone Mayor Gail Sellers says she is now concerned about the combination of very heavy rainfall and gale force winds forecast.
Early this afternoon Councillor Sellers said the rain depression had centred over Gladstone and was not moving.
``It will be over 24 hours before it moves south and lessens. That will be around mid-morning tomorrow,'' Cr Sellers said.
``We're looking at rainfall of 200mm to 400mm in the next 24 hours, on top of 700 mm we've already received in the last three days.
'' The Awoonga Dam water level was at 46 metres six metres over the spillway this morning.
Waves hit the esplanade at Urangan at Hervey Bay. PIC: Deborah Cook
"Our time for concern is tomorrow's 10am high tide,'' she said.
"It looks like being 7.5 metres over the spillway.
"It is predicted to be 47.5 metres at 10am. We thought it was history-breaking when it was 4.6 metres over the dam."
About 50 roads in the Gladstone area, including roads to the dam, were closed and lookouts near the dam also were closed.
Cr Sellers said despite this some drivers were going around road closure signs.
Waves hit the esplanade at Urangan at Hervey Bay. PIC: Deborah Cook
There have been two rescues in Gladstone area, with two people lifted off the roof of a car at Lomead, south of Gladstone on Friday night and another two people rescued from a flooded stream at Yarwun.
Residents of 400 homes in the Boyne Tannum and Benaraby areas have been door-knocked and warned there could be flooding over the next 24 hours and they might need to evacuate.
``It's been fine today. We didn't move anyone out and there was no one in the evacuation centre,'' Cr Sellers said.
Gladstone deputy mayor Matt Burnett said flooding had been limited to water in peoples' front yards at Boyne Island.
"Tomorrow morning will be the test case for Boyne Island and Tannum Sands", he said.
This reader photo from Mark Yates shows the high tide at Flinders Parade, Scarborough.
"We've never seen this amount of water over the wall ever."
He said Awoonga Dam was expected to have 7.5m of water over the wall tomorrow morning, with the dam level to be 47.5m with the dam wall at 40m.
He said authorities were concerned at the prospect of the wall of water from the dam flowing into the Boyne River meeting tomorrow mornings high tide.
"There's been no major flooding at this point in time. The region's coping quite well."
He said the South Trees bridge over the inlet between the mainland and Boyne Island could go under tomorrow as it was a lot lower than the Tannum Sands bridge.
BLEAK: Cranes at the Port of Brisbane switched on their lights early today as wild weather hit Moreton Bay. PIC: Neale Maynard
He said residents of the Boyne Valley in the towns of Nagoorin, Ubobo, Boulyan and Many Peaks were completely cut off.
An evacuation was set up at Boyne Island Community Centre and the Salvation Army had set up a trailer as precaution.
Rescue
A man and a woman were rescued from the roof of a car when their vehicle was submerged in flood waters in Gladstone this morning.
Just before 5am the pair was in a car on Gladstone-Mt Larcom Rd at Yarwun, about 15kms north-west of Gladstone, when it got caught in flood waters.
It's been reported the woman was suffering from hyperthermia and the pair were taken to Gladstone Base Hospital but a spokeswoman from the Department of Community Safety couldn't confirm this.
Aerials of flooding between Gracemere and Rockhampton, central Queensland. PIC: Peter Wallis
She said fire fighters reported the pair was back on dry land at 8.20am.
Goovigen & Jambin
Two small inland communities, Goovigen and Jambin, face the prospect of extensive flooding from water spilling over the Callide and Kroombit dams.
Both dams burst their banks last night and are experiencing monstrous outflows, with the towns damstream bracing for an "unprecedented" flood threat with conditions far worse than during the 2010 floods.
Banana Shire Council Mayor Ron Carige said all residents have been evacuated from Jambin and are being advised to leave Goovigen.
Dams at Callide and Kroombit burst their banks about 7pm last night.
An aerial photo of flooding between Gracemere and Rockhampton. PIC: Peter Wallis
"Why we are worried is when you're comparing now to the 2010 floods (in 2010) we had 33,000 megalitres coming out of Kroombit dam to cause the issues we had than.
"As of midday today we are now looking at 54,000 megalitres coming out of Kroombit dam and 120,000 out of Callide Dam in 24 hours," Cr Carige said.
He said rain continues to be dumped on the catchments areas, compounding the problem for Sun Water.
"They're in uncharted waters; it's unprecedented what's happened they cant help us with any modelling, because they don't know," Cr Carige said.
"None of us could have predicted this to happen.three or four days ago we were in dire straits in a drought, so we're a land of contrast that's for sure," Cr Carige said.
Flood damage in Shields Avenue in Rockhampton. PIC: Peter Wallis
Cr Craige said Sun Water could not provide any modelling of the likely extent of the flooding.
He said that all houses in Jambin were at risk as the creeks that lead from the dams meet just before the town.
"There is water lapping at some of the houses but the main water hasn't reached it yet," Cr Carige said.
In 2010 homes in Jambin were flooded while water lapped at the outskirts of Goovigen.
This time, Cr Carige expects homes in Goovigen may be flooded.
Sky update on floods in Gladstone along the Boyne river, evacuations to low lying homes
"The dams are so full at the moment I dare say (the flooding of homes) will be in next 12 to 20 hours," Cr Cariage said.
There are about 42 residents in Jambin and all have been evacuated from their homes and are staying at the local school.
Only six people refused to leave their homes.
The nearly 50 residents of Goovigen are beginning to leave their home for an evacuation site at their local school.
"Goovigen is an unknown quantity; the water backs up there but in the past we haven't had that much water before," Cr Cariage said.
The Council is rushing to organise emergency plans for Goovigen before all the flood waters hit.
"Once the water gets there Goovigen's isolated, we need to have some plans in place early," Cr Cariage said.
Bundaberg region
Further south, 350 homes are without power, including 170 around Baffle Creek.
Bundaberg Mayor Mal Forman, chair of the local disaster management group, said the ex-tropical cyclone was dumping heavy rain across Bundaberg this morning, with 100 to 250 mm expected up to 9pm today.
"We're on full alert,'' he said.
Most rain was on the coast, but the hinterland catchments of the Burnett River, Kolan River and Baffle Creek also were receiving rain.
Cr Forman said the storm surge at high tide had not been as bad as earlier predicted, although there had been some foreshore damage.
Water was seven metres over Essenden Bridge over Baffle Creek, between Agnes Waters and Bundaberg.
"Fred Haigh dam on Kolan River is about two metres over the spillway,'' Cr Forman said.
He said so far there had been no major flooding in the region, but that could change.
"If we receive 300 mm like they think we will, we may have to get into a more active alert,'' he said.
"We've got everything ready to go.''
Cr Forman said water in the Paradise Dam was only a couple of centimetres off going over the spillway, and once that happened it would put more water down the Burnett River and probably cause minor flooding.
Rainfall figures
In the Gladstone area, over 370mm fell at Boolaroo Tops, 347mm fell at Kroombit Tops, 347mm in the Boyne catchment and Captain Creek, and 307mm in the Baffle Creek catchment.
Kroombit Tops is an escarpment in the region, with run-off from there flowing in to local streams.
Flood warnings have been issued for the Calliope, Boyne, Baffle and Kolan Rivers.
Callide Creek
Earlier, residents at Callide Creek, 600km north of Brisbane, were urged to move to higher ground at the nearby Jambin Hall as a flood release from the Callide Dam was tipped to reach 1.5 metres.
The SES has received more than 650 requests for assistance since Friday morning, including more than 130 for Rockhampton, and more than 35 jobs each for Gladstone and Yeppoon.
Community Safety Minister Jack Dempsey said there were six swift water rescues overnight.
"Thankfully they were all very successful outcomes," he told ABC radio.
One of two fisherman reported missing off Rockhampton earlier in the week has been found.
The skipper of the 38-foot fishing vessel made a distress call on Thursday, saying the boat was taking on water in the Casuarina Passage off Port Alma.
A 60-year-old man was found on Balaclava Island about 11am Saturday, and a water and air search is under way for the second man.
The Bruce Highway is closed in several places between Rockhampton and Gladstone and the train line is cut near Rockhampton, stopping all services between Brisbane and Cairns.
Ergon Energy says thousands in central Queensland remain without power and staff will be flown to inaccessible areas to reconnect it.
The low pressure system is almost stationary and hasn't tracked to the southeast as predicted on Friday.
It expected to slowly move south to the southeast and bring heavier rain, dangerous surf, abnormally high tides and strong winds on Sunday and Monday.
"With all that heavy rain, flash flooding is definitely expected," said Ken Kato from the Bureau of Meteorology.
SeqWater has increased its releases from Wivenhoe Dam as a precautionary measure.
Brisbane region
In the southeast, people in the coastal towns of Toorbul and Meldale, between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, were issued with a watch and act notice, with the Department of Community Safety warning the communities were likely to be affected by a dangerous storm surge caused by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald at 9am.
Do you have photos of flooding? MMS them to 0428 258 117 or email them.
Up to 1600 homes were thought to be in danger of being inundated in the coastal Moreton Bay region, north of Brisbane - but water levels in the area were below expectations and there was no flooding reported this morning.
Some Australia Day events are going ahead despite the wet. Scroll down for a list of those which are proceeding.
Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan Sutherland said on Friday night the council and SES were door-knocking homes in some of the areas at greatest risk.
"These potentially dangerous storm tides are associated with the ex-tropical cyclone Oswald which could also dump up to 400mm of rain on the Moreton region this weekend," the mayor said in a statement.
Sand and sandbags are available for areas potentially affected by storm tides at SES depots on Bribie Island, at Deception Bay and Redcliffe, he said.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for the area this weekend with damaging winds, heavy rainfall, abnormally high tides and dangerous surf conditions.
It says tides are expected to be almost a metre higher than those listed on tide charts.
Meanwhile, a 22-year-old man who had been stranded for 24 hours by flooding on a roadside in Queensland's northeast was plucked to safety by a helicopter on Friday night.
The man had been driving from Charters Towers to Mackay when his car became bogged, before rising floodwater left him stranded on the side of Suttor Development Road around 5pm on Thursday, the RACQ said.
The man couldn't be reached by road rescuers, so the RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter was sent to his aid just before 5pm on Friday.
Former cyclone Oswald has been causing flooding across the state since Tuesday, when it crossed Cape York Peninsula's west coast and was downgraded to a low-pressure system.
Many Australia Day celebrations have been cancelled across the state due to the extreme weather.
Gold Coast
On the Gold Coast, all beaches have been closed until Sunday afternoon as wild seas hammer the Glitter Strip.
Senior lifeguards and lifesavers made the call after meeting Saturday morning to assess conditions.
"We know it's Australia Day but it's just too dangerous to keep the beaches open," Gold Coast surf life saving co-ordinator Nathan Fife said.
"It's meant to get worse and that's why we decided to close them until tomorrow afternoon."
Click here to watch a Gold Coast surf cam from Main Beach
Mr Fife said lifesavers would continue to patrol beaches but warned people against risking their lives by venturing into the ocean.
There's a lot of water moving around and we're also expecting a lot of bluebottles with the strong northerly winds."
Gold Coast City Council officials are keeping a close eye on already badly eroded Nobby Beach, where beachfront homes were left teetering on the edge of steep sand cliffs after recent big swells.
Earlier
With 300mm of rain forecast to soak the region today and tomorrow, Premier Campbell Newman yesterday gave the order for just under 50,000 million litres to be drawn from Wivenhoe and North Pine Dams, a three per cent reduction.
With ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald drenching north Queensland, it is the southeast's turn to receive a bucketing as the low creates flash flooding from the Sunshine Coast to the New South Wales border.
In central Queensland, swiftwater rescue teams made 20 rescues including plucking eight people to safety after their car was swept off the Capricorn Highway and a teenager was saved from a ranging torrent by swift water rescue teams.
CQ DRAMAS: HEARTBREAK AS RAIN RECORDS GO UNDER
With the heavy weather expected to set in until at least tomorrow night, Premier Newman made the call to release water from Wivenhoe and North Pine dams.
Starting late yesterday, 41,000 million litres was being let out of Wivenhoe Dam, and 8000 million litres from North Pine - less than a quarter of what was being released every day in the lead up to the January 2011 floods.
But a cautious Premier admitted the releases were more about offering peace of mind to flood-scarred residents, than out of necessity.
The releases will lower the level of Wivenhoe to about 88 per cent - down from 91.6 per cent - and occur at a rate of about 300 cubic metres a second.
GALLERY: QUEENSLAND COAST COPS A DRENCHING
Mr Newman revealed the decision to let the drinking water out was essentially his and Water Supply Minister Mark McArdle's, rather than at the urging of dam engineers.
"I'm happy to say as Premier, (and) a former Lord Mayor, and Mr McArdle as a Minister in this government . . . we're not just sitting there waiting to be given advice, we're actively considering the matter," Mr Newman said.
"We are letting them (Seqwater) know that we totally support proactive measures to increase the buffer that's available, and I'm more than happy to say that."
His order came as lives were feared lost in Central Queensland after Oswald dumped 349mm of rain on Rockhampton, smashing a 40-year-old record.
BOGGED: MAN STRANDED IN CAR FOR 22 HOURS
In Gladstone, where more than 600mm of rain fell in two days, sewage bubbled into the streets but Mayor Gail Sellers said it was not a health risk.
"We've got so much water here, it's so diluted, it's not a health risk and we're dealing with it," she said.
The city's harbour has been closed, the region's national parks are shut and Gladstone's Australia Day celebrations have been cancelled.
Mr Newman said while most people would "sadly fixate on issue of the river" the real risk in Brisbane was suburban creek and stormwater drain flooding.
He said the release of water was designed to make people feel "more comfortable and secure in relation to dams and their management".
"At the moment, all the information I have is even without this measure (water release) we'd have enough in that 1.4 million megalitre flood storage compartment to take what's coming. That's the advice we have at the moment," Mr Newman said.
Mr McArdle said the aim was "to protect people and the property of southeast Queensland by making certain the dams were at their most efficient".
A decision was taken in November not to reduce southeast Queensland dam capacity to 75 per cent but leave it at 100 per cent because of the forecast of a dry summer.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk announced yesterday pre-filled sandbags would be available all weekend at council depots at Darra, Morningside, Virginia and Newmarket for anyone concerned about flooding.
He said BCC was hopeful the city would be spared the worst of the bad weather but residents should nevertheless remain vigilant - particularly in low-lying zones around the Norman, Bulimba, Breakfast/Enoggera, Stable Swamp/Oxley and Cabbage Tree Creek catchments and the Zilman Waterhole at Boondall.
"This is not to alarm people but simply to say we are on full alert," Cr Quirk said.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale warned of the potential for flash flooding in the Bundamba and Woogaroo Creek catchments but said the dryness of the area meant they were not expecting major problems.
With the Gold Coast predicted to be hardest hit by the weather "bomb", the city council activated its disaster management centre.
Co-ordinator Peter McNamee said hinterland creeks and causeways were the main concern and the situation was "highly unpredictable".
Campers on Fraser Island could also be at risk from heavy rain, with 3000 booked for the Australia Day long weekend and high tides likely to affect movement along the beaches.
Emergency Services Minister Jack Dempsey has embarked on a tour of rain-deluged communities from Rockhampton south, but Mr Newman said there was no need for him to personally visit those areas.
"At this stage no, because as you've heard the issue has generally been controlled quite well.
"If I see this thing get more serious I can assure people I will be getting out and about," Mr Newman said.
Australia Day Events Going Ahead:
Australia Day Festival at The Courier-Mail Piazza at Southbank from 8am to 11pm - citizenship ceremony plus performances from Evermore, Busby Marou and Art of Sleeping.
The Australia Day Breakfast at the Wynnum Esplanade has been cancelled and replaced with Australia Day Awards in Wynnum from 8.30am 10.30am at Wynnum Manly Leagues Club, 92 Wondall Rd Manly West
The Family Fun Day at Moorooka has been postponed but the Community Awards and Citizenship Ceremony has been moved indoors to Moorooka Lions Halls, Pegg's Park, Koala Rd, Moorooka from 9am to 10.30pm
Australia Day Big Aussie BBQ has been moved inside to Panthers Clubhouse, Morningside Football Club, Hawthorne Park, Park St Hawthorne
Inala Lions Citizenship Ceremony has not been affected by the rain, still scheduled for 11am to 11.40am in the Inala Community Hall, Inala Library Building, cnr Corsair Ave and Wirraway Pde, Inala
Australia Day and the Bay and Citizenship ceremony has been moved to the Sandgate Town Hall on Seymour St from 1pm to 8pm
Billy cart races to go ahead but fireworks have been cancelled due to winds
The Oxley Australia Day Community Event and Awards are still to take place on Monday 28 January
Reporting by Rose Brennan, Kathleen Donaghy, Kay Dibben, Greg Stolz, Robyn Ironside, Tuck Thompson, Andrew MacDonald, Peter Michael, Rikki-Lee Arnold and AAP
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