It is finally raining in eastern Australia to end the country's worst drought in 100 years.
Though the downpour has brought respite for some, torrential rains have caused devastating floods in the northeast. Met officials say the coastal town of Mackay, Queensland, is the worst affected. On February 15, the town recorded 624 mm of rain in 10 hours. Authorities declared a disaster zone and evacuated over 1,000 people. The city mayor says it is the biggest deluge in the region in 90 years. On February 18, Western Australia's northwest coast was put on red alert for a possible tropical cyclone Nicholas, which was feared to bring considerable rainfall and flood the Greenough and Irwin rivers.
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