Sydney, May 9 (IANS): Residents in eastern Australia, especially in the states of Queensland and New South Wales (NSW), are being warned to prepare for heavy rain and flash floods this week.

The Queensland Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said on Monday that showers and thunderstorms are forecasted for the next few days, which may cause flooding and cause water level rise, particularly in the Western River and upper Diamantina River catchments, reports Xinhua news agency.

The BoM said heavy rain would likely develop overnight in some regions, which may lead to flash and riverine flooding, and widespread impacts to transport systems.

The latest forecast summary from BoM suggested the capital city of Brisbane could receive up to 15 mm of rainfall on Monday, increasing to up to 60mm by Wednesday.

Heavy rainfall will shift towards the east coast and adjacent Queensland on Wednesday and Thursday, although there is still uncertainty about where the heaviest rainfall will be.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services is urging residents to make preparations and plan ahead if they are travelling around this week and to stay up to date with the latest weather and flood warnings.

Meanwhile, the BoM also warned that rain was on the way for some regions in northern NSW from later Tuesday.

The bureau has already issued a warning for minor flooding for the Bogan River in the central western region of NSW.