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Two women have died in flash flooding over the past two days, as parts of south-east Queensland brace for more storms.

Over 350,000 lightning strikes were recorded overnight, during a severe storm that hit Brisbane and surrounding regions.

The nearby town of Samford received 61mm in just one hour.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned another round of storms are headed for south-east Queensland, including Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay region.

The thunderstorm over the Moreton Bay area has been deemed "very dangerous", with gusts of 125km/ hour winds and large chunks of hail falling on surrounding towns.

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Emergency personnel are warning residents to be vigilant about flood risks, as flood warnings remain along the coast, from Mackay in central Queensland to the south.

Last night, a woman was found dead in her submerged car, after it was swept into a nearby creek.

Emergency services attended reports of the vehicle submerged in floods, later finding the 44-year old Geebung woman inside.

The woman and her partner, a 52-year-old man, had been visiting a Hungry Jacks drive-through in Aspley before witnessing a four-wheel drive crossing floodwaters.

The pair had decided to do the same, before being swept approximately 200 metres in the flood waters, into a nearby creek.

The 52-year-old man managed to escape the vehicle, swimming to the embankment, and was found by police around 8pm.

He was assessed by paramedics and taken to Brisbane's Prince Charles Hospital in a stable condition, and is currently assisting with the ongoing investigation.

Police and emergency services, including SES and police divers, found the car and the woman submerged inside it in Little Cabbage Patch Tree Creek approximately four hours later, following extensive searches around 11.15 pm.

Police officer Mark Jones said the deaths were a timely reminder of how dangerous floods can be.

"This is the second tragic loss of life in a number of days due to cars driving through floodwater," Mr Jones said.

"There was a significant amount of water in the exit of the drive through back onto Gympie road.

"If it's flooded forget it, do not drive through floodwaters whatsoever."

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Resident Connor Scurr, who lives on the banks of the creek, was one of the first to spot the car.

"It's more of a shock thing, you don't really expect to wake up and see someone pulled from a car from a flood, it's devastating," he said.

Jim Williams, who also lives nearby, said the surrounds of the Hungry Jacks drive through were extremely wet, with water levels rising quickly.

"The Hungry Jacks carpark was going under water, I walked all along here and the path was starting to go under water," he said.

He said he witnessed searches take place from dozens of police and emergency services, warned to stay away as water gushed over the creeks banks.

"He said we don't want to pull another person out of the creek so we gathered someone had had some kind of an accident and gone in.

"It was flowing at a phenomenal rate. It was probably the quickest I've seen it come up in quite a while."

https://twitter.com/TMRQld/status/1469064362711261199

About 15 minutes before the woman's body was found, emergency crews were called to what could have been a similar situation north of Brisbane.

A police spokeswoman said as many as three cars were trapped in floodwaters near Old Gympie and Callaghan roads at Narangba.

She said police, firefighters and paramedics attended the scene but only police remained directing traffic early Friday morning.

The incidents came amid extensive localised flooding throughout Brisbane's north and a little more than 24 hours after a 75-year-old woman died when her car was washed away in the city's west.

https://twitter.com/weatherzone/status/1469107422283239426

Ben Domensino from WeatherZone said there were 352,311 lightning strikes detected within a 300km radius of Brisbane last night and that more than 200,000 of these occurred between 4pm and 10pm.

"In yesterday's case, this rising air at the sea breeze front caused acted to supercharge the existing thunderstorms, resulting in heavy rain and a lot of lightning," he said.

"The heaviest rain from last night's storms fell to the north of Brisbane, where Deception Bay collected 114 mm during the 24 hours to 9am on Friday, with 112 of this falling during the six hours ending at midnight."

Albany Creek also picked up 101 mm and Dayboro had 111 mm during the 24 hours to 9am Friday.

QFES and Transport and Main Roads continue to issue warnings, urging residents never to enter flood waters, in their cars or on foot, and never to let children play in dangerous floods.

"There might be debris, sharp objects, poison sewerage or maybe the odd crocodile," a Transport and Main Roads spokesperson said.

"More than half of our flood related deaths are the result of Queenslanders driving through floodwater."

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Queensland has recorded nine new cases of COVID-19, including six that were infectious while in the Gold Coast community, with new contract tracing alerts issued.

"Today is the day we have been planning for," Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said.

Three cases are in quarantine. Two are from interstate, and one is from overseas.

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New contact tracing alerts have been issued as Queensland Health continues to track the movements of those infected.

Residents who visited exposure sites in Broadbeach, Mermaid Beach, Miami, Tugun and Ashmore recently may be identified as close or casual contacts.

One of today's cases is a student at Broadbeach State School which has been closed.

A message was sent about 7.30am today notifying parents of the case.

A member of a band that played in Byron Bay is also one of today's new cases.

https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1469103528354324480

His bandmates have already left and travelled to Western Australia.

A female who is a close contact of the band member has also tested positive to COVID-19.

There have also been confirmed cases at the Currumbin Bakehouse. That has now been closed for cleaning today.

Acting Chief Health Officer Dr Peter Aitken has urged people in the Gold Coast to wear masks, get tested, check in to venues, and get vaccinated.

The state reached the 80 per cent double dose vaccine milestone yesterday nearly a week earlier than expected.

The vaccination rate comes as the Queensland government moves forward the state's border reopening date to December 13, despite the discovery of a new "stealth" variant of Omicron COVID-19.

Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman said Queensland Police, in collaboration with Queensland Health, had been preparing for an outbreak on the Gold Coast.

He said the city's vaccination rate was not yet high enough.

"Now is the time I cannot stress that enough," he said.

"Reminding people now go and see a medical professional, not the internet, to address any concerns."

Borders to open from 1am on Monday

He said police were preparing for borders to open next week from 1am Monday, December 13.

"In relation to the operations themselves, checkpoints will look exactly the same but how they operate as of 1am Monday will be quite different," Acting Chief Superintendent Wildman said.

He said works were in place to regulate what's expected to be heavy traffic crossing the border, particularly in the first two days of opening.

For fully vaccinated border residents who can now cross into Queensland, Acting Chief Superintendent Wildman encouraged early download of their X/XR border declaration pass.

"Have this visibly displayed on your dash for entry into Queensland," he said.

"This will help police to not only manage traffic flows but to determine which vehicles need to be intercepted.

"Even a few seconds delay for each vehicle slows everything down."

He added while actions would be taken to manage traffic, with more staff called to operate border checkpoints, everyone crossing the border should be prepared to be stopped by police.

"You can be stopped any time you cross into the Queensland border."

An overtired driver who fatally hit a Melbourne school principal as she was cycling, then fled the scene, has been jailed for almost a decade.

Chris Hyslop, 37, was sentenced to nine years and six months' jail before the County Court on Friday, having pleaded guilty to charges including culpable driving causing death on the basis of gross negligence and fatigue.

The court heard the father-of-three had been on a "significant drug binge" and had hardly slept in the days before he killed South Oakleigh College principal Deborah Locco on May 24 last year.

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He had made a number of trips in his car earlier in the day, and was seen driving erratically prior to the crash.

The court heard other drivers had seen him veer out of his lane and driving "all over the road" before the collision, and that his passenger had asked him if he was alright to be driving.

Dashcam footage from a car that was travelling in front of him showed his car veer out of its lane 14 times before the fatal incident.

Hyslop was then driving southbound on Beach Road in Beaumaris about 5.17pm when his car drifted into the bike lane, where it travelled for about 30m, before it mounted a traffic island, drove over a grass patch, and hit Ms Locco from behind.

The 60-year-old had been cycling in the road's designated bike lane and was equipped with flashing lights.

The court heard Hyslop's passenger told him to stop, but he fled the scene.

He then pulled into a nearby street, parked and ran away on foot.

Witnesses comforted Ms Locco at the scene, but she died from her injuries.

Hyslop had a history of driving and dishonesty offences, with Judge Elizabeth Brimer declaring his driving record to be "appalling".

Judge Brimer said Hyslop's sleep deprivation rendered him "incapable of driving safely"

"Ms Locco's death is solely attributable to your actions in diving your car while impaired by fatigue," she said.

"The dash cam footage is disturbing in its illumination of just how likely it was that something would go wrong."

The court heard Hyslop claimed he had no memory of the collision and expert advice supported the idea he may have fallen asleep.

Judge Brimer said general deterrance was an important factor in sentencing, ordering Hyslop serve a minimum of six years and nine months' jail before becoming eligible for parole.

He had already served 564 days of the sentence.

Dozens of children have been evacuated from a Sydney childcare centre after floodwaters inundated the site.

The garden and hallways of the Leaping Learners Early Education Centre in Leumeah filled with floodwaters this morning.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) and emergency services helped to evacuate the kids from the building with assistance from the childcare workers as well.

READ MORE: Woman's body recovered from NSW floodwaters, more wet weather to come

Parents were contacted to collect their children.

There were scenes of relief as parents were reunited with their little ones.

The parents told 9News they had been "very worried" when they found out the centre was flooded.

When one parent was asked if she expected this to happen when she dropped her child off this morning, she said "no, definitely not".

"You know what, it happens and it's a great centre and they look after us all," a parent said.

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The flash flooding comes after a snap storm hit parts of Sydney this morning, bringing heavy rain and large hailstones.

"I didn't even see it happen, I walked out of the office and it was flooded," another parent said.

More wet weather is expected to lash NSW this weekend.

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