That was 61 centimeters (2 feet) below the 4.46-meter (14 foot, 3 inch) flood level reached in 2011, officials said.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the rainfall over Brisbane had been extraordinary since November, when authorities were considering water use restrictions due to a shortage.
“It is still a significant event, and I think everyone would agree no one has seen this amount of rain in such a short period of time,” in the southeastern area, Palaszczuk said.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the floods are “very different” to 2011 because the rain pummeled the region for five days. In 2011, the rain had stopped days before the Brisbane River peaked and authorities had warned for several days of flooding downstream.
Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey said major roads had been cut. Train and ferry services across Brisbane have been halted, he said.
“We’re going to have localized flooding in a lot of areas for a couple of days yet,” Bailey said.
Lismore was bracing for its worst flooding on record.
Downtown Lismore was inundated on Monday after days of unrelenting rain and 15,000 people had been evacuated, officials said.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
