En seulement quelques semaines, une fine bande de rivière a gonflé sous l’afflux d’eau, jusqu’à atteindre… 60 km de largeur ! Des images satellites récemment publiées par la NASA montrent la rivière Flinder - l'une des plus longues du continent - à son niveau le plus élevé depuis plus de 50 ans.

Summer Floods in Australia https://t.co/jekpOszH32 #NASA

Summer Floods in Australia NASA Earth on Twitter: "Summer Floods in Australia https://t.co/jekpOszH32 #NASA / Twitter" NASA Earth on Twitter: "Summer Floods in Australia https://t.co/jekpOszH32 #NASA / Twitter"

— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) NASA Earth on Twitter: "Summer Floods in Australia https://t.co/jekpOszH32 #NASA / Twitter"

Selon le Bureau de météorologie du Queensland, le surplus d'humidité qui s’étend à la surface et s’évapore contribue à l’apparition orages dans la région et aggrave une situation déjà catastrophique.

A flood so vast it creates its own weather! The extra moisture from the flooding in #NWQld helped this thunderstorm form this morning. It can be seen following the path of the flood waters very closely, thankfully falls were isolated. More images: https://t.co/nrb8tKt1K1 #BigWet pic.twitter.com/zPHnElj50k

A flood so vast it creates its own weather! The extra moisture from the flooding in Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland on Twitter: "A flood so vast it creates its own weather! The extra moisture from the flooding in #NWQld helped this thunderstorm form this morning. It can be seen following the path of the flood waters very closely, thankfully falls were isolated. More images: https://t.co/nrb8tKt1K1 #BigWet pic.twitter.com/zPHnElj50k / Twitter" helped this thunderstorm form this morning. It can be seen following the path of the flood waters very closely, thankfully falls were isolated. More images: Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland on Twitter: "A flood so vast it creates its own weather! The extra moisture from the flooding in #NWQld helped this thunderstorm form this morning. It can be seen following the path of the flood waters very closely, thankfully falls were isolated. More images: https://t.co/nrb8tKt1K1 #BigWet pic.twitter.com/zPHnElj50k / Twitter" Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland on Twitter: "A flood so vast it creates its own weather! The extra moisture from the flooding in #NWQld helped this thunderstorm form this morning. It can be seen following the path of the flood waters very closely, thankfully falls were isolated. More images: https://t.co/nrb8tKt1K1 #BigWet pic.twitter.com/zPHnElj50k / Twitter" Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland on Twitter: "A flood so vast it creates its own weather! The extra moisture from the flooding in #NWQld helped this thunderstorm form this morning. It can be seen following the path of the flood waters very closely, thankfully falls were isolated. More images: https://t.co/nrb8tKt1K1 #BigWet pic.twitter.com/zPHnElj50k / Twitter"

— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland on Twitter: "A flood so vast it creates its own weather! The extra moisture from the flooding in #NWQld helped this thunderstorm form this morning. It can be seen following the path of the flood waters very closely, thankfully falls were isolated. More images: https://t.co/nrb8tKt1K1 #BigWet pic.twitter.com/zPHnElj50k / Twitter"

Le bétail décimé par les inondations

Selon CNN, environ 500 000 têtes de bétail ont péri dans les inondations, ce qui représente une perte d’environ 300 millions de dollars. Les autorités ne sont pas en mesure d'accéder aux cadavres pour les éliminer correctement, ce qui fait craindre un risque pour la santé publique. « Les gens ont souffert de la sécheresse, ils sont sortis de plusieurs années de sécheresse et sont maintenant plongés dans une catastrophe naturelle comme personne n'en avait jamais vu auparavant », a déclaré à la presse la Premier ministre du Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Source : CNN

À VOIR ÉGALEMENT : La terre de ce fermier brûle le thermomètre