Record rain floods Australian town

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COLLIE, Australia, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A record-breaking rainstorm inundated the town of Collie in Western Australia Wednesday, with many residents evacuated and at least 40 houses damaged.

About 5 inches of rain fell in 12 hours, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. said. That was a record for Western Australia.

More rain was in the forecast.

"We're expecting that this level of rain that we're getting now could continue for up to 12 hours," Jason Whiteaker, a local official, said. "So we've got a long night in front of us, I think."

Collie, 132 miles south of Perth and 37 miles inland on the Collie River, is normally hot and dry during the Australian summer. Meteorologists described the rain as a 50-year storm, Perth Now said.

A storm Tuesday night caused flooding elsewhere in the state, including some areas in Perth.