Residents have been evacuated and multiple roads are closed in Far North Queensland as heavy rainfall causes flooding across the region.
SES and Swiftwater rescue teams evacuated locals in Gordonvale, around 27 kilometres from Cairns, as the deluge sparked major flooding earlier today.
The Bruce Highway is also closed in Fishery Falls and Seymour River.
Rainfall exceeding 300mm has smashed Cairns and surrounding areas over the past two days.
As the threat of a tropical cyclone looms in the Coral Sea off the coast of Cairns, the state’s north has been pummelled by massive rainfall which has turned into a dangerous landslip.
Superintendant Douglas McDonald, Darling Downs, warned Queenslanders to stay alert and informed as flooding continues across the state’s north, particularly as the tropical cyclone threat intensifed.
“This time of year, as we move in to the wet season up north and the monsoon [season], we see the tail of a lot of cyclones, including cyclones that will come quite a distance down the east coast and will impact areas here,” McDonald said.
“It’s unusual for us here on the Darling Downs to experience significant rainfall if there is cyclones and other weather events in the north.
“Can I just encourage people to stay alert to what the weather is doing, in particular into next week.”
The flooding earlier resulted in major road closures across Cairns including parts of the Bruce Highway and a landslide closed down the Kuranda Range Road.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued another severe weather warning today for the North Tropical Coast and Tablelands district.
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A surface low is lying off the coast of northeast Cairns and has whipped up a rainy high pressure ridge, pushing the rain inland.
The bureau warns this heavy rain may lead to further flash flooding over the northern beaches of Cairns, plus coastal communities and islands in the region.
Rainfall topping 240mm is also possible over the next 24 hours in the Cairns area.
An active monsoon trough moving into the Australian region over the next two weeks is likely to produce more rainy weather and a chance of a tropical cyclone remains moderate.
The tropical low off the coast of Cairns now has a 25 per cent chance of developing into a cyclone.
Meanwhile, heatwave conditions remain across the Gulf Country, North West and Channel Country Districts, with maximum temperatures in the low- to mid-40s.
Brisbane and Townsville are both forecast to reach a top of 32 degrees, while Mackay, Cairns, Toowoomba, Surfers Paradise and Noosa Heads are set to hit 30 degrees today.
