The thing with Brisbane is that we get a big variety of different kinds of flooding, with very different characteristics. Overland flow and creek flooding can occur and be very problematic, especially in the more outer suburbs and some higher areas.

But the most destructive kind is when the Brisbane River floods. And that happens for reasons that are impossible for someone purely looking at local conditions in Brisbane to predict. It’s a big river with a massive catchment area all the way up to Toowoomba, going south and north to the Gold and Sunshine Coast hinterlands.

And while 2022’s floods were preceded by a lot of local rain and local conditions were extremely moist (which meant we got a lot of creek flooding and overland flow in addition to the river flooding), the 2011 flood occurred on a much drier day in Brisbane itself, thanks to the upstream weather being much worse.

Conditions here at least seem to be drying up a lot, and I don’t think there’s much cause for concern, but back on Thursday, it’s the above facts that meant I was still a little worried even despite what it was like here.