Four die in Queensland floods as town goes underwater - with two missing and 2,000 calls for help as state is smashed by worst downpour in 30 years

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A Queensland town is underwater and four people are dead as the worst flooding in 30 years hits the state - with two people missing and 2,000 calls made for help. 

Gympie, north of Brisbane, was completely inundated by floodwaters on Saturday.

Aerial footage shows the town swamped by rising waters with the main road cut off and buildings submerged. 

The Bureau of Meteorology expects floodwater levels to continue rising and beat the record 21.95m set in 1999.   

More than 300mm of rain fell in multiple areas around Brisbane, the Lockyer Valley and Sunshine Coast.

At Mt Glorious, north west of Brisbane, 690mm of rain fell between 9am Friday and 7am Saturday.

At Pomona on the Sunshine Coast, 535mm of rain fell up to 6am this morning. 

The SES received more than 2,000 calls for help and carried out 132 swift water rescues in the last 24 hours across the impacted region. 

Four people have died including an SES volunteer, motorcyclist and driver who drowned after becoming trapped in her car. 

The SES volunteer died while attempting to rescue a family trapped by floodwaters at Coolana, west of Brisbane, on Friday. 

A Queensland town is underwater and two people have died as the worst flooding in 30 years hits the state - with two people missing and 2,000 calls made for help

Gympie, north of Brisbane, was completely inundated by floodwaters on Saturday

Aerial footage shows the town swamped by rising waters with the main road cut off and buildings submerged

The regional city has been battered by heavy rain since the start of the weekend as the downpour rips across southern Queensland

A Queensland SES volunteer who was on his way to rescue a family stranded in flood waters has died as wild weather continues to batter the state and NSW

The SES volunteer was driving with three other personnel when their vehicle was swept off the road.

They died while their colleagues were later rescued. Forensic Crash Unit officers are investigating the incident.

The body of a 55-year-old Camp Hill man was discovered at Stones Corner, south of Brisbane, at 1.30am on Saturday. 

A 54-year-old man was killed when trying to ride a motorbike through rising water at Gympie and a 63-year-old woman's body was found in a submerged car on the Sunshine Coast during the week. 

Queensland is being pummelled by rain as a surface trough hovers over the south east of the state. 

Major flood warnings have been issued for Mary and Mooloolah rivers, Maroochy and Noosa rivers, Upper Brisbane and Stanley rivers and the Bremer River, along with Laidley, Lockyer and Warrill creeks. 

'In some parts of south east Queensland, this is the biggest event that they will see in a number of decades and the rain has not stopped. In fact, there are some parts where it is intensifying,' Police Minister Mark Ryan said on Saturday morning.

Already saturated catchments are increasing the flood risk and Mr Ryan advised people to take extra caution in the coming days.

'I need everyone out there to be making sensible decisions,' he says.   

Residents in the Lockyer Valley town of Grantham, where a three-metre wall of water swept through and devastated the community in 2011, heard flood sirens on Friday as residents of low-lying areas were told to move to higher ground.

Six people took refuge on the roofs of homes as emergency services made plans to rescue them, with the weather so severe aircraft was unable to assist. 

The intense weather is continuing on Saturday, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning that surface trough is likely to deepen further into a low pressure system.

The deaths come after a family was rescued by helicopter, the SES responded to hundreds of calls for help and more flood warnings were issued for Queensland and severe thunderstorms forecast for NSW

Stranded resident standing on her front porch and watching flood waters slowly creep up around her Ipswich home

Bremer River has broken its banks as heavy rain continues to fall in southern Queensland on Saturday

A couple observe flooding at the One Mile bridge in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, on Saturday

A family watches flood waters rise along Tiger Street in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, on Saturday

'The evolution of this system and its relatively slow movement will continue to cause significant and prolonged impacts across south east Queensland over the weekend,' the bureau warns.

Locally intense rainfall that could lead to dangerous flash flooding is possible, and could heighten the risk of landslides.

Motorists are warned to take care on the roads with debris likely. 

A family-of-five and their dog were retrieved by helicopter from their home in a regional area southwest of Gympie after it was cut off by rising waters in both directions on Friday afternoon.

The family guided rescuers from the Sunshine Coast RACQ LifeFlight Rescue using coordinates, and were rescued about 1.45pm.

It comes after Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said police were dealing with 'literally hundreds of jobs' on Friday afternoon.

'The best thing our community can do to help us is to not go out in the weather, and to stay where it is safe,' he said.

Local takes a photo of flood waters along One Mile bridge in Ipswich as heavy rain continues to fall

Flood water levels have slowly been inching closer to the one-and-a-half metre mark in Ipswich

A submerged caravan near the flooded Bremer River along One Mile bridge

A family has been rescued by helicopter after their home was surrounded by floodwaters, as further warnings were issued in Queensland and severe thunderstorms are forecast for NSW

Sydneysiders brave the heavy downpour to spend a day out in the city as Queensland is bombarded by flash flooding

One Mile bridge in Ipswich has completely disappeared as raging flood waters continue to rise

'If it's flooded, forget it.'

Residents in southeast Queensland are facing intense rain and life-threatening flash floods as one of the most severe weather systems in a decade pummels the region.

On Friday night the BOM issued a severe weather alert for the state's southeast, including the Sunshine Coast, Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba.

Many of the catchments were 'saturated' with an 'increased risk of dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding and landslides' as intense rainfall remained possible.

The harsh weather is expected to continue throughout Saturday morning before the severe risk eases.

A major flood warning is in place for residents of Gympie, with the BOM warning the Mary River may exceed its February 1999 peak.

Mary Street in Gympie is inundated by floodwaters with further warnings issued across the state

A major flood warning is in place for residents of Gympie, with the BOM warning the Mary River may exceed its February 1999 peak

Residents in southeast Queensland are facing intense rain and life-threatening flash floods as one of the most severe weather systems in a decade pummels the region

Floodwaters have battered Queensland including the regional town of Gympie 

The river peaked at just under 22 metres during that event 23 years ago, and further heavy rainfall is forecast, after the catchment area reported more than 300mm in the last 24 hours.

On Friday, emergency services in Queensland responded to more than 1,000 events including 41 water-related jobs.

Wivenhoe Dam in southeast Queensland was also scheduled to begin releases late on Friday night, which is expected to flood bridges and crossings at downstream Twin Bridges, Savages Crossing, Burtons, Kholo Bridge and Colleges Crossing.

In NSW the body of a 54-year-old Matcham man was found in his vehicle in floodwaters on the Central Coast about 1.30am on Friday.

Emergency services were called to the area east of Gosford after reports a Toyota Landcruiser had gone missing at about midnight. A report is being prepared for the coroner.

Slow-moving thunderstorms are producing heavy rain in the state's central west that could lead to flash flooding in multiple areas, the BoM NSW warned Friday afternoon, with Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Tumbarumba, Griffith, Narrandera and Cobar under threat.

 Emergency services were called to the area east of Gosford after reports a Toyota Landcruiser had gone missing at about midnight. A report is being prepared for the coroner

Two men are seen trying to rescue a tradie stranded on his ute as flood waters ravaged Queensland

A major flood warning is in place for residents of Gympie, with the BOM warning the Mary River may exceed its February 1999 peak

On Friday, emergency services in Queensland responded to more than 1,000 events including 41 water-related jobs

Many of the catchments were 'saturated' with an 'increased risk of dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding and landslides' as intense rainfall remained possible

The storm is being caused by a humid and unstable mass of air hovering across NSW's southwest to northwest. An upper trough is aiding the instability, the BoM said.

A minor flood watch also remains in place for the Macleay River catchment on the Mid North Coast.

On Friday the NSW State Emergency Service said people had been ignoring flood warnings. Their volunteers had been involved in 36 flood rescues in the previous 24 hours.

The state is in the 'midst of this emergency, with more rain still to come' Daniel Austin, NSW SES Acting Commissioner, said.

'By entering floodwaters you are placing yourself in immediate danger. The risk is real.

'Dangers are still present.'

 A minor flood watch also remains in place for the Macleay River catchment on the Mid North Coast

 On Friday the NSW State Emergency Service said people had been ignoring flood warnings. Their volunteers had been involved in 36 flood rescues in the previous 24 hours

Slow-moving thunderstorms are producing heavy rain in the state's central west that could lead to flash flooding in multiple areas, the BoM NSW warned Friday afternoon, with Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Tumbarumba, Griffith, Narrandera and Cobar under threat

 On Friday night the BOM issued a severe weather alert for the state's southeast, including the Sunshine Coast, Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba