Overview
- Forecasters expect multiple days of heavy rain with daily totals of 100–200 millimetres and isolated falls near 300 millimetres from Saturday into next week.
- Flood watches are in place for Queensland’s north-west and northeast tropical coast as well as NT catchments including the Waterhouse, Barkly, Carpentaria and Arnhem Coastal Rivers.
- River level rises are already occurring in parts of north-west Queensland, with rapid and dangerous surges possible in Gulf catchments and the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers from Sunday.
- Mount Isa and Cloncurry are preparing for significant rain, with SES distributing sandbags and police urging travellers to monitor rolling road closures and avoid flooded roads.
- A coastal trough is forecast to move north and stall from Sunday, bringing prolonged heavy to intense rain along the northeast coast between about Bowen/Ayr and Cairns early next week.