Australia Weather News

Coastal communities from Cairns to Mackay are being urged to watch for potential flooding over the coming days.

Patch Clapp from the Bureau of Meteorology said a low pressure system would continue to bring showers, storms, and pockets of heavy rainfall along the north tropical coast down to the Whitsundays.

Over the next 24 hours the heaviest falls are most likely in the Herbert and Lower Burdekin down to the Whitsundays, after which heavier falls are more likely further north.

Rainfall of up to 300mm is possible over the weekend in areas from Innisfail to Bowen.

Flood watches have been issued for river catchments across north Queensland, some of which have received more than 900mm of rain since Monday morning.

Jack Stirling from Gordonvale, south of Cairns, has spent the day filling sandbags in anticipation of more rain to come after his home was inundated yesterday.

"It should be right, mate," he said of the forecast wet weather.

Mr Stirling came home yesterday to find his fence "gone … and a few other things were floating around the yard".

Another resident, Zoe Armstrong, also left work early to fill sandbags, having spent until midnight cleaning up from yesterday's localised flood.

"I've lived here my whole life, and between this year and what we've experienced last year over Christmas it's definitely the worst it's been," she said.

However, like Mr Stirling, she was not overly worried about the wet weather to come.

"It comes part and parcel with living up here," she said.

The Cairns Regional Council has defended itself from criticism over the failure of a pump in Gordonvale due to a power outage.

In a statement it said flooding was exacerbated by king tides that prevented heavy rain from draining into a nearby creek.

Councils preparing for more

The State Emergency Service (SES) has responded to 45 calls for help in the Cairns and Cassowary Coast area, mostly for sandbagging and tarping leaking roofs. 

Sealink North Queensland said it is monitoring ferry operations and has amended schedules due to strong winds and heavy seas forecast for tomorrow afternoon.

Meanwhile, Townsville City Council is preparing for the wet weather by pulling stinger nets in from beaches, clearing drains and fuelling up vehicles.

Stinger nets will be pulled from tomorrow morning at the Strand, Balgal beach, Magnetic Island and Pallarenda to prevent them being damaged.

Townsville emergency management and community safety team manager Zac Dawes said residents needed to stay informed and prepare their homes.

"It's better to be over-prepared than to be caught out if the weather worsens," he said.

The tropical low off the far north Queensland coast has a low chance of developing into a tropical cyclone today and tomorrow.

The bureau is also monitoring for four other lows that could develop across northern Australia over the coming days.

'A sea of water'

Cairns councillor Brett Moller, who lives on Behana Creek south of Aloomba, was stranded by floodwaters on Thursday.

"It was actually a sea of water out there," Cr Moller said.

"When I took a limited drive, that's what I was looking at; a sea of water. It was just an amazing deluge."

Cr Moller said he lost power and internet and reminded residents to have a battery-powered radio in their disaster pack.

Residents urged to be prepared

SES Far North area controller Wayne Coutts said the SES had increased its stock of sandbags and tarpaulins and recruited more volunteers since last year's wet season.

"We just suggest to people to take the opportunity to grab the sandbags, get to the council depots, to have them ready just in case," he said.

Chair of the Townsville Local Disaster Management Group, Councillor Andrew Robinson, is also urging people to be prepared in case conditions worsen.

"Speak with your family and put arrangements in place for yourself and your pets," Cr Robinson said.

"The second most important thing would be to have an emergency kit, a grab bag so that you can be self-reliant for up to three days."

With floodwaters cutting several roads around the region, Cr Robinson urged people not to take risks.  

"You don't know what's underneath the waters, the road could be washed away," he said.

"The last thing you want is to be stuck in the middle of a raging river."

Heatwave relief

Senior meteorologist Felim Hanniffy said monsoonal activity may bring cooler temperatures to communities experiencing hotter weather across the western part of the state.

"We'll see conditions subside in parts of the north-west and eventually broadly across the west," Mr Hanniffy said.

A severe heatwave in the Gulf and North West is expected to peak today as temperatures reach the mid to low 40s from Mount Isa through to Richmond, and high 30s further north.

The Central West will remain in the mid to low 40s throughout the week before dipping into the mid-30s on Monday.