By ALENA HIGGINS
THE Southern Downs was spared much of ex-Tropical Cyclone Marcia’s wrath last weekend with heavy rainfall and anticipated flooding failing to eventuate.
Tensions began to build across central Queensland and the Capricorn Coast late last week when Marcia gained strength and was upgraded from a category three to a category five.
She was expected to ease to a tropical low pressure system by the time she reached the Southern Downs late Friday or Saturday, removing much of the destructive winds that pummelled the worst hit areas of Yeppoon and Rockhampton.
But the Bureau of Meteorology’s prediction of 100mm to 200mm of rain for parts of the Southern Downs failed to materialise.
Warwick received a combined total of 38.2mm on Friday and Saturday, Stanthorpe 24.6mm while Texas recorded just 21.4mm.
On Friday, council staff allayed residents’ concerns following a number of requests for sandbags, saying the flood mitigators were unnecessary at that stage due to only light to moderate falls.
The inclement conditions did put a dampener on a number of events however, with the Killarney Show forced to cancel and the annual Rods over the Gap receiving lacklustre numbers, though its show and shine still went ahead at Leslie Park.
By yesterday morning, more than $53 million worth of insurance claims had already been lodged and tens of thousands of people in central Queensland are still without power.
Rainfall figures
Friday
Warwick 23.4mm
Stanthorpe 11.2mm
Texas 2.2mm
Saturday
Warwick 14.8mm
Stanthorpe 13.4mm
Texas 19.2mm
