Australian Weather

25 Feb 2026, 11:49PM UTC

The outback deluge continues, with the heaviest overnight falls occurring in the area around the town of Birdsville in far southwest Queensland It’s a very rare day indeed when one of the wettest locations anywhere in Queensland is Birdsville, which sits at the eastern edge of the Simpson Desert. But in the 24 hours to 9am Thursday, Birdsville received 93.2mm. That was: 58% of the town’s annual average rainfall of 161.4mm in one day Nearly five times the average monthly rainfall for February in one day Birdsville’s heaviest day of February rainfall this century Birdsville's heaviest day of rainfall in any month since 2011 Queensland’s second-highest 24-hour rainfall total behind only Fall Creek on Cape York Peninsula. Locations near Birdsville also received heavy falls overnight. Image: 12-hour combined radar and water vapour loop showing heavy rainfall on Wednesday night which eased off in the early hours before re-intensifying on Thursday morning. Source: Weatherzone. Durrie Station, about 105km northeast of Birdsville, collected 92mm in the rain gauge, so it’s reasonable to assume that heavy rain fell another 50km east at Betoota, the map speck which is perhaps best known for the satirical news website named in its honour. As the loop above shows, rainfall has re-intensified in southwest Queensland on Thursday morning. Image: The Betoota Hotel in late January 2026, in much drier times. Source: Josh Feek/iStock. Severe weather warnings in place Just after 4am (AEST), the BoM issued its latest severe weather warning for heavy, locally intense rainfall for the Channel Country (where Birdsville is located) and parts of the North West, Central West and Maranoa and Warrego forecast districts. READ MORE: Mount Isa and Alice Springs break longstanding rainfall records The BoM warned that six-hour rainfall totals between 50 and 80 mm were likely, with expected 24-hour rainfall totals between 60 and 100 mm. Isolated totals of up to 130 mm are possible. Dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is possible in all the areas mentioned with slow-moving lines of thunderstorms on Thursday morning, the BoM added. Please check the Weatherzone warnings page for the latest flooding and severe weather information. Why is outback Australia so wet this week? A slow-moving tropical low has been sitting over central Australia for much of this week and is currently located over the southeast corner of the Northern Territory. Tropical moisture has been feeding this system, and thunderstorm activity is occurring along a trough in the southwest of Queensland, as air moving towards the trough is forced to rise into an unstable atmosphere. This wet and stormy outback weather is not done yet, with tropical moisture set to extend towards southern and southeastern Australia at times in coming days. READ MORE: Simpson Desert tropical low causing flooding in four states

25 Feb 2026, 3:49AM UTC

A rare weather pattern involving a near-stationary tropical low over the Simpson Desert is causing widespread rain and thunderstorms in central Australia this week, resulting in flooding across four states. The animation below shows a low pressure system sitting above the Simpson Desert region in central Australia. This animation reveals that the low barely moves over a 72-hour period from Sunday morning until Wednesday morning (today). Video: Composite day/night satellite imagery and modelled mean sea level pressure between Sunday, February 22 and Wednesday, February 25, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. Rain and thunderstorms associated with this low pressure system have inundated parts of the Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales over the last few days. Moisture from this low has also extended south and fuelled showers and thunderstorms in Vic, where flooding also occurred on Tuesday. Some of the standout rainfall observations from the last few days have included: 169 mm at Nappa Merrie, Qld in the 24 hours to 9am local time on Wednesday 121 mm at Winnathee, NSW in the 24 hours to 9am local time on Tuesday 118 mm at Rabbit Flat, NT in the 72 hours ending at 9am local time on Wednesday 99 mm at White Cliffs, NSW in the 72 hours ending at 9am local time on Wednesday This is exceptionally heavy rain for these parts of Australia. For example, Nappa Merrie is in a part of Qld that usually receives about 100 to 200 mm of rain in an average year. On Tuesday night this week, they picked up 97 mm in just six hours. While it has already been odd to see the low pressure system lingering over central Australia during the last three to four days, it could stay in a similar position until at least Saturday. This would make a whole week where the same tropical low has hovered above the Simpson Desert region, which is a remarkable and highly unusual meteorological event. Unfortunately for cities, towns and communities in central Australia, this is likely to mean more rain, thunderstorms and flooding in the coming days. From Friday into the weekend, rain and storms are also likely to extend further south in SA, NSW and Vic, and possibly towards Tasmania early next week. Image: Forecast accumulated rain during the 72 hours ending at 11pm AEDT on Friday, February 28, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. Flood watches, flood warnings and severe weather warnings are currently in place in parts of the NT, Qld, NSW and SA. Flooding is already occurring across parts of central Australia and will continue during the rest of this week and into next week. The State Emergency Service advises people to: Avoid flooded roads and never drive, ride or walk through flood water Keep clear of creeks and storm drains. Contact the SES on 132 500 for emergency help in floods and storms. Dial 000 if you need rescue.