Man dies in floodwater after severe thunderstorm hits Australia’s Queensland

This recent undated handout picture provided by the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and received by AFP on February 3, 2019 shows floodwaters as they rush over the Aplins Weir in Townsville after days of torrential rain. Once in a century floods have turned streets into rivers and forced thousands to abandon their homes in northeast Australia, with authorities warning of further downpours over the next few days. Handout / QUEENSLAND FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES / AFP

A man has died in the Australian state of Queensland after his vehicle was stranded in floodwaters on Thursday.

At about 5.20 a.m. local time, officers were called to conduct a welfare check of a vehicle submerged in floodwater at a private property on Begley Road in Greenbank, who found a 71-year-old man dead near the vehicle.

Queensland police confirmed that the death has not been deemed suspicious and a report would be prepared for the coroner.

With a resident population of around 10,000, the rural suburb of Greenbank is located in Logan City, south of Brisbane.

On Wednesday evening, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued a warning of “very dangerous thunderstorm” that could lead to life-threatening flash flooding near Greenbank and Red Bank plains.

According to BOM’s latest observation, significant heavy rainfall was recorded across the lower Brisbane catchment with widespread totals of 50-100 mm during Wednesday night and into Thursday morning with isolated rainfall totals up to 150 mm.

Local weather service provider Weatherzone also reported that from Thursday to Saturday, southern Queensland, New South Wales, and parts of Victoria and Tasmania are likely to experience widespread deluge and thunderstorms.

“While this weather pattern will produce severe weather that could include a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours for some places, it is not unusual for this time of year,” Weatherzone warned.