Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are set to sweep across most Australian states this weekend, because apparently the sky looked at Queensland's already drenched landscape and thought, "Let's add a little more." The Bureau of Meteorology had nine flood warnings in place for south Queensland on Saturday morning, following a week that saw flash flooding, hundreds of SES callouts, and multiple school closures in the south-east.

Senior meteorologist David Crock said severe thunderstorms and heavy rain were forecast across multiple locations in central and eastern Queensland on Saturday, including Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast hinterlands, and Roma. Severe storms could also hit parts of Victoria, including Melbourne's eastern suburbs, and central and eastern South Australia. Heavy rain is expected to develop in Tasmania overnight into Sunday morning. "There's plenty of rain across the south-east, as well as plenty of showers and storms and rain across much of Queensland as well, after what's already been a really wet week," Crock said, in what may be the meteorological equivalent of "you ain't seen nothing yet."

The cold front will move across NSW on Sunday, bringing severe thunderstorms to the west of the state as well as north-eastern Victoria, Sydney, and Brisbane. "Tomorrow is a threat for thunderstorms right across eastern Australia, with severe thunderstorms likely through a wide part of inland eastern Australia," Crock said. So, basically, if you live on the eastern half of the continent, maybe don't make outdoor plans.

This week, multiple areas in Queensland were hit by more than twice their average October rainfall across just a few days. "It was an incredibly wet week in Queensland. Much more typical of summer or January or February than this time of year," Crock said. The Sunshine Coast hinterlands and Caboolture were hit by flash flooding and recorded a seven-day rainfall total of 300-400mm, with some areas reaching 450mm. "It's been notable how persistent this weather pattern has been, how much moisture has pumped in … then how those rainfall totals have accumulated across seven to 10 days through Queensland and northern New South Wales," Crock said, confirming that yes, the sky has been unusually committed to its job.

On Thursday, torrential rain in south-east Queensland caused flash flooding, water rescues, and hundreds of calls for help, while several schools were forced to close on Friday. Thursday's heavy rain stretched from Caboolture down to the Border Ranges, with some places copping well over 200mm. The Queensland fire department carried out more than 16 swift-water rescues, including using a raft to retrieve an elderly man clinging to the roof of his vehicle at Caboolture. Because nothing says "October" like a surprise swimming lesson for your car.