How did the central Queensland floods in 2008 occur?

Question

How did the central Queensland floods in 2008 occur?

Answer 1

It was caused by a tropical storm. Too much rain fell in a short time, and the land is very flat. Floods are common there and big floods happen every five to 8 years. Some rivers are dry 50% of the time.

So, it all depends on how much rain falls, and how quickly. The land is so flat that rivers easily overflow their usual banks.

;-D El Nino seems to be a major cause although tropical storms can happen any year.

Answer 2

The floods across Queensland in 2008 were the result of a rain deluge, satellite image shows that on first week of this year the accumulation of rain in northeastern Australia, particularly around Brisbane by the date of 1 January - 8 January has highest rainfall for about 250 mm per day.

http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/shownh.ph...

this floods have caused widespread damage across south-east, far north, north and central Queensland.