Major Flood Warning Issued for Upper Balonne River, Major Flooding Expected at Surat
This alert is no longer in effect.
BOM issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this BoM weather warning directly from BOM's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a major flood warning for the Upper Balonne River, with major flooding occurring at Warkon and expected to develop at Surat.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Flood Warning
- Affected area
- Upper Balonne River, Queensland
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- BOM
Flood notices turn on location and timing. Treat the named area as this record's scope; do not assume nearby counties, parishes, or waterways were included.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Upper Balonne River, Queensland.
Alert Details
The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a Major Flood Warning (IDQ20831) for the Upper Balonne River. This warning was issued at 12:59 pm AEST on Thursday, March 12, 2026, following recent heavy rainfall that has caused significant river level rises across the catchment.
Affected Areas
The warning covers several locations along the Balonne River and its tributaries, including:
- Balonne River: Warkon, Surat, Warroo, and downstream to the Beardmore Dam.
- Dogwood Creek: Pine Hill Crossing and Miles.
- Bungil Creek: Tabers and Roma.
What You Should Do
Residents in the affected areas are advised to take the following safety precautions:
- Do not drive, walk, swim, or play in floodwater, as it is dangerous.
- Stay away from flooded drains, rivers, streams, and waterways.
- Obey all road closure signs and plan travel to avoid flooded roads.
- Monitor local media and the ABC for updates.
- For emergency assistance, contact the SES at 132 500. In life-threatening situations, call 000 immediately.
- Visit www.disaster.qld.gov.au/warnings for local emergency management advice.
Expected Conditions
- Warkon: Major flooding is currently occurring. The river level was recorded at 10.22 meters and steady as of Thursday afternoon. It is forecast to reach approximately 10.6 meters overnight Friday into Saturday.
- Surat: Major flooding is likely to develop overnight Thursday into Friday. The river is expected to exceed the major flood level of 9.00 meters and may reach 10.0 meters during Sunday.
- Warroo: Minor flooding is possible. The river was at 3.12 meters and rising on Thursday, with the potential to exceed the minor flood level (9.00 meters) overnight Thursday into Friday.
- Dogwood Creek: Major flooding is currently easing at Pine Hill Crossing. The creek at Miles was recorded at 5.64 meters and falling as of Thursday morning.
Timeline
The alert is effective immediately. Major flooding is expected to impact Surat starting overnight Thursday, March 12, with peak levels potentially reached by Sunday, March 15. No significant rainfall is forecast for the next few days. The Bureau of Meteorology expects to issue the next update by 11:00 AM AEST on Friday, March 13, 2026.
Original source: BOM Official Notice ↗
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