Flood warnings as towns in North Queensland receive usual annual rainfall in just days

Thursday, 1 January 2026 21:34

Heavy rain is continuing to batter Queensland's north with rivers rising and large parts of the region on alert for flash flooding.

Some areas along the north-east tropical coast, from Bingle Bay to South Mission Beach, have seen between 500 millimetres and more than one metre of rain in recent days.

Further north, Innisfail has seen about 700 millimetres of rain and Ingham about 600 millimetres.

Flood warning remain in place for rivers and creeks across Queensland's north-east.

Townsville and Cairns have been spared the worst of it, with falls closer to 300 and 200 millimetres respectively, but showers are expected to continue there today.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonathan Howe said conditions should start to ease but the flood danger will remain.

"The weather systems that brought widespread rain and storms this past week are now gradually starting to weaken off, but not completely going away," he said.

"For north-west Queensland, that severe weather warning for heavy rain has now been canceled, but we could see thunderstorms bringing pockets of heavy rain which could exacerbate some of those current flood and flash flooding conditions."

Gilead River, just to the south-east of Cloncurry, has seen its entire annual rainfall in just the last few days, receiving 511 millimetres.

Flood warnings have been in place for the Flinders, Cloncurry, Tully, Herbert, Bowley and Mulgrave rivers.

The deluge is set to move south towards Mackay.

"As we head into Friday, showers and storms continue across northern Queensland and they could extend further down the coast towards Mackay, even as far south as Saint Lawrence, but the focus will remain about the coast between roughly Bowen to Townsville," the bureau said.

"We could still see some heavy rain move onto the coast and we could still see further severe weather warnings as well as severe thunderstorm warnings into the weekend."

The body of a man in his 70s was found in a car submerged in floodwaters in Normanton on December 30.

People are urged to stay up to date on the BoM website and the Queensland government's disaster website.

Premier David Crisafulli announced disaster relief for the affected areas earlier this week.

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