Wettest March day for 15 years in some parts of northern Australian state, while storms and hail hit Mediterranean

More heavy rain has hit Queensland, Australia, just weeks after the devastation of Cyclone Alfred. Much of north and central Queensland was put under severe weather alert for heavy rainfall earlier this week, as six-hourly rainfall totals of 30-60mm were anticipated, with risk of seeing a total of up to 120mm locally in this time frame.

In the north-west of the state, this rain allowed waters in the Haughton River to rise rapidly, with levels reaching 2.68 metres on Wednesday night, exceeding the 2.5-metre major flood level.