EMERGENCY crews have staged 11 swift-water rescues and a stranded mother has carried her young children to safety after storms dumped torrential rain in southeast Queensland.

Severe thunderstorms dumped more than 80mm of rain in an hour in some parts last night as more than 150,000 lightning strikes hit, cutting power to 12,000 properties.

The highest rainfall totals were seen inland with Blackbutt in the South Burnett Region receiving 95mm of rain, most of which (83mm) fell in just an hour.

Toowoomba received 92mm of rain, Ocean View in the Moreton Bay Region saw 87mm and Gatton received 80mm. Ipswich receiving more than 60mm. Parts of Brisbane experienced rain totals of 20—50mm.

media_camera Swift water rescue crews were called to multiple incidents in the Ipswich region on Monday night, including an incident where a woman had to carry her children to safety through waist-deep water. Paul Tully/Queensland Times

Most rescues were southwest of Brisbane.

In Ipswich a woman battled to save her three children after they got caught in fast-rising waters after leaving the Goodna Scout Den.

Ipswich councillor Paul Tully said the family got caught by a fast-flowing wall of water that swept across the road at Bellbird Park, leaving them to battle through waist-deep water to reach safety.

King George Square access restricted: Customers unable to enter busway from the entrance way on Adelaide Street, closest to City Hall, due to water covering the entrance way. Can either enter via Roma Street & Ann street, or opposite Queens Plaza. #TLAlert — TransLink (@TransLinkSEQ) February 26, 2018

She carried her youngest children, aged five and seven, to safety, while also helping her nine-year-old escape. Her car was a write-off.

“I will be recommending this mother-of-three for a bravery award in her extraordinary feat,” Mr Tully said in a statement, adding some Ipswich properties had also been affected by flooding.

A car still stranded on a Gold Coast road after a driver risks his life and the lives of rescuers to drive across a flooded causeway. Cops say “you can’t police stupidity”. @sunriseon7 pic.twitter.com/uLR2BoqtBu — Bianca Stone (@Bianca_Stone) February 26, 2018

Specialised rescue crews pulled at least two people trapped in a car in flood waters on the Gold Coast late last night.

Firefighters were called to a flooded causeway on Nerang-Broadbeach Rd in Clagiraba after reports of a car stuck in high waters just before 10pm.

Swift Water Rescue were able to safely remove the people, who were reportedly stuck in the car for up to two hours waiting to be rescued. It’s not believed they were injured.

Earlier in the night Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Durack station officer Jason Mannix said he and his partner were on their way back to the station from a job about 8pm when they noticed a car in flood waters on Bowhill Rd, Durack, southwest of Brisbane.

media_camera Flooding in downtown Chinchilla on Monday night. Picture: Kyle Weedon

The duo freed a woman from her car after it became inundated, before they noticed a man in a car on the opposite side of the road who was also in trouble.

“It didn’t come through a Triple 0 call, we were on our way back to the station,” Mr Mannix told The Courier-Mail.

Mr Mannix said the drivers were quite distressed and misjudged driving through the flood waters on the dark street.

“Neither of them could swim,” he added.

The man and woman were not physically injured.

Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford has berated motorists after emergency crews were forced to risk their own lives during 11 swift-water rescues. “Frankly, I’m getting sick and tired of seeing these reports on a daily basis, about incidents where our emergency crews are having to put their lives are risk rescuing people who have tried to drive through floodwaters,” he said. “It’s disappointing — and astounds me that people continue to make poor judgement calls, and expose themselves to risk.”

Timber pierces through shower, mirror during storm Timber pierces through shower, mirror during storm

Chinchilla’s main street was also hit by flash flooding.

Kyle Weedon shared a picture on social media showing the water rising around the local Domino’s pizza restaurant.

“Usually wouldn’t ask this but please don’t order dominos at the moment. Were (sic) a bit flooded,” he wrote.

BoM forecaster Jonty Hall said Chinchilla received about 75mm of rain during the storms.

Flash flooding affected a number of areas across the southeast, including in Coulson, west of Brisbane, with Ipswich Boonah Rd experiencing flash flooding near Podlichs Rd, while the Beaudesert Nerang Rd was also flooded in Biddaddaba with lanes closed.

The Mt Lindesay Highway at Browns Plains was also flooded and closed for a period.

If you’re driving around Logan, Jimboomba, Gold Coast, be careful & report flooded roads. A number of roads have been inundated by water due to heavy rain. If it’s flooded, forget it! — Queensland Police (@QldPolice) February 26, 2018

Drivers were urged to seek another route if roads are flooded, and never to drive through flood waters.

Crews were last night working to restore power across the region. As of 11pm, about 1600 homes remained without power, with the majority in the Ipswich, Gold Coast and Brisbane regions. That was reduced to less than 500 by 7am Tuesday.

There was still plenty of water around this morning. Earlier, Translink advised commuters there was restricted access to King George Square busway due to “water covering the entrance way” at the entrance on Adelaide Street, closest to City Hall.

Mr Hall said the positive news was that the wild weather would bring some relief to the recent heat. He said the storm activity was due to a southerly wind change which will see humidity drop off noticeably.

DAM GOOD RAIN TOPS UP SUPPLIES

Rain last week has given a significant boost to southeast Queensland dams, with heavy downfalls delivering an extra 2½ months’ worth of water supply.

SEQwater has confirmed the grid received an extra 3 per cent of water between Friday and Monday (prior to Monday night’s storms) pushing total storage up to 78 per cent.

An SEQWater spokesman said some dams around the Sunshine Coast were now at capacity or spilling over.

In far-north Queensland, Toolakea, just north of Townsville, has received monster rainfalls, recording 520mm in the last seven days.

Most fell on the weekend, when 211mm was recorded between 9am Saturday and 9am on Sunday.

More rain is forecast for Queensland this week, although there is only the chance of a storm in Brisbane today before sunny conditions for the rest of the week.

Mackay and Townsville will be expecting showers and tops of 32C. Inland, Longreach could get a shower with a top of 38C and Mount Isa will stay dry, 41C.

The state’s west will stay fine and sunny with 37C at Charleville, while the southeast is in for patchy weather, with showers for the Gold Coast