Another extreme weather deluge rolls over Far North Queensland
A man has died as heavy rain brings widespread flooding across Queensland. Photo: AAP
Floodwaters are once again rising in Far North Queensland after heavy rain lashed the tropical coast and a storm cell hit towns between Cairns and Townsville on Friday night.
“The worst of the weather is clearing that area but we do expect some of the heavy rain to gradually move south across the Queensland coast,” Bureau of Meteorology’s Angus Hynes said.
Mr Hynes said the sudden downpour in the north caused rivers to spike quickly with some breaking their banks.
Photos of Tully, 140km south of Cairns, show knee-deep floodwaters through the town after 280mm of rain fell in six hours.
In the 24 hours to 11am on Saturday, rainfall totals of up to 458mm were recorded over the Tully and Murray catchment.
A moderate flood warning is in place for the Tully and Murray rivers.
Emergency services standing by
Residents are warned to keep an eye on warnings as the already saturated catchments fill once again.
Deputy Premier Cameron Dick said emergency services were working quickly to respond to the renewed flood threat.
“We’ll keep an eye on it as a government and our really sophisticated disaster response and recovery system will now swing into place to make sure we care for Queenslanders who may be affected by the flooding,” he said.
The far north is still reeling from widespread flooding caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper in December followed by Kirrily in January.
Ex-cyclone Lincoln which is currently moving back towards the coast of Western Australia also brought heavy rain and flooding to Queensland’s northwest last week.
The cyclone season in Queensland has caused more than $2 billion in damage so far.
The season usually extends from November through to the end of April.
The bureau says on average, 11 tropical cyclones will form in Australia during the season with four typically crossing the coast.
-AAP