Emergency warnings were on Monday morning in NSW and Victoria amid the threat of a potentially wet and dangerous start to the week.

A severe storm was approaching NSW’s Illawarra region early on Monday with an alert released at 5.30am (AEDT).

Affected regions included NSW’s South West Slopes and parts of Illawarra, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, Riverina and Central West Slopes and Plains forecast districts.

“Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours,” the weather bureau said.

“Very dangerous thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy, locally intense rainfall that may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding over the next several hours.”

An emergency warning was also issued, but later downgraded, for Victoria’s Gippsland region, with people urged to immediately take shelter.

The latest round of wild weather follows the death of a woman during a storm in Sydney at the weekend.

Rosanna Hashem was struck by an ‘exploding’ tree. Photo: Supplied

Rosanna Hashem was killed when a tree “exploded” and sent deadly shrapnel flying across the yard to where she was sitting on her verandah.

NSW Ambulance spokesman David Kynaston said two women had been seated six metres from the large tree.

“This had been struck by a lightning bolt, which literally caused the tree to explode, sending debris all over the place,” Kynaston said.

“This was a freak … traumatic and tragic incident for the family involved but also very confronting for emergency services.”

The second woman in her 40s was taken to hospital in a serious condition after the strike in south-west Sydney on the stormy Saturday afternoon.

A friend, Jemma Powell, remembered Hashem as “a beautiful mother of four boys, a loving wife, sole owner of her own business”.

“She was very passionate about animal welfare and just a fabulous person taken way too soon.”

The fierce weather followed days of heavy rain in northern Queensland where coastal and inland centres, including Townsville, Cardwell and Ingham, were most affected.

Flood-hit communities have been urged to keep up to date with the latest warnings, with fears of more rain on the way.

The Bureau of Meteorology was forecasting severe thunderstorms from Dubbo all the way to Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga on the NSW-Victoria border.

Big storms were expected on Monday through much of inland NSW and north-east Victoria.

“We could see widespread falls of 25-50 millimetres through eastern Victoria and much of central and eastern NSW,” Narramore said.

“We could see even heavier falls in excess of 100 millimetres possible through parts of eastern Victoria and particularly around central and south-eastern parts of NSW.”

Monday morning’s storm warning issued by BOM.

In Queensland, there are major flood warnings for the Herbert, Burdekin, Haughton, Flinders, Cape and the Western Rivers, with minor-to-moderate warnings for other catchments through north-east and northern inland regions.

Senior meteorologist Myriam Bradbury said 24-hour rainfall totals could reach 250 millimetres.

“This rain is falling onto saturated land, meaning it will quickly run off and top up already swollen rivers,” she said.

“This means that even moderate rainfall totals could cause swift river rises and could lead to dangerous flooding conditions.”

The flood warnings come as communities in Western Australia’s north remain on watch for a possible tropical cyclone.

The bureau said the tropical low near the north Kimberley coast could become a cyclone on Monday.

On Sunday morning it was 380 kilometres from Broome and 160 kilometres north-west of Kuri Bay.

“The low is forecast to move south-west off the Kimberley coast and develop, potentially reaching cyclone intensity on Monday,” the bureau said.

Wind gusts of up to 100km/h are possible along the coast between Cockatoo Island and Beagle Bay by Monday afternoon, possibly extending further towards Broome and Bidyadanga.

Heavy rain is also possible between Cockatoo Island and Broome from Sunday.

It could take communities in north Queensland years to recover from devastating flooding. Photo: AAP

Flooding in Queensland in the past week forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes and left communities without power.

A major bridge in Ingham was washed away, with the defence force called in to restore temporary access for crucial supplies.

Some residents have started to return to flood-ravaged homes, with more than 4000 storm and flood-related insurance claims so far.

The total damage bill is unknown.

So far $8 million is available for affected residents through the Commonwealth’s community relief fund. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli is also pushing for federal support to lift bridges above flood level along the Bruce Highway.

Queensland Reconstruction Authority chief executive Jake Ellwood warned the clean-up would be hard, with an enormous toll on the mental health of affected people expected in addition to physical and economic impacts.

“Recovery and reconstruction is not a days and weeks event — it is months and years,” he said in Townsville on Saturday.