North Coast residents and holidaymakers sweated through a hot Christmas Day yesterday, with temperatures reaching up to 37 degrees in some places before late afternoon thunderstorms brought relief.
But welcome rain quickly turned into a drenching, with falls as high as 60mm quite widespread.
Coastal areas were largely spared the biggest falls, however, with Ballina receiving just 29mm, Kingscliff 7mm and Banora Point 8mm.
Just inland it was a different story, with Repentance Creek recording 138mm, the highest in the region.
Tuckombil received 71mm, Nashua 60mm and The Channon 87mm.
South-east Queenslanders fared worse, with high winds combining with heavy rainfalls to knock black out some 19,000 homes and temporarily take out the ABC’s Bald Hills AM radio transmitter.
Thunderstorms are again predicted for the region today and tomorrow, albeit with lighter showers and lower maximum temperatures. Today and tomorrow’s forecast top temperatures eerily echo the dates: 26 degrees today and 27 tomorrow.
