An enormous low pressure system in Queensland's Gulf Country is bringing phenomenal rainfall, with Mornington Island receiving 456 millimetres since 9am (AEST) yesterday.

That is on top of about 600 millimetres in the previous week and there is a severe weather warning for abnormally high tides and flash flooding for the region.

The weather bureau says 82 per cent of Queensland had above-average rainfall this summer and it is the sixth wettest on record in the state.

An average of 505 millimetres of rain fell across Queensland during summer, but it was not enough to break the 1974 record of 763 millimetres.

Forecaster Peter Otto says abnormally high tides are also expected along the Gulf coast today.

"When we get to the high tide later on today, that will be maybe about 30 centimetres above the high water mark, something like that," he said.

"We've also got plenty of rain so there is the possibility of flash flooding also with that severe weather warning.

"That low will gradually drift off to the south-west over the next day or two.

"The rain should persist for a few days yet but then should contract into the Northern Territory."

'Hammered all night'

Stuart Laming, who works on a fishing lodge on the northern side of Mornington Island, says he has never seen anything like the torrential rain still falling.

"That's a metre in a week - it just didn't stop - it hammered all night," he said.

"The causeway is flooded - I'd daresay the whole town and the whole island has copped it.

"It is needed but for the accommodation and everything to flood we'd need another metre - I think there's probably a few more days in it yet.

"We've had over the last five or five-and-a-half days we've had 600 millimetres and just overnight we've had another 350 or 400 millimetres.

"Looking out the back window, the backyard is about 400 [millimetres] deep in water.

"I haven't seen that - I've been here for four years now and I haven't seen that before."

Cairns weather forecaster Bill O'Connor says the system will continue to bring dumping rain for the next few days.

"We're still going to see a lot of rainfall for that area in the southern part of the Gulf and that will extend across to the western side of Cape York Peninsula," he said.

North Queensland

The weather bureau says while river levels are mostly dropping in the lower Herbert region, north of Townsville, heavy rainfall could lead to rises in the next few days.

The region experienced mostly moderate rainfall levels overnight but authorities closed the Bruce Highway north of Ingham, because of water over the road.

The weather bureau says the flooding risk to Ingham has eased after the area received only moderate rainfall overnight.

Meteorologist Mario Torrisi says the flooding threat to Ingham has eased.

"The potential's still there to see some showers and thunderstorms and some local to moderate heavy falls could still occur just about anywhere through the tropical areas," he said.

"You can't say they're entirely out of the woods but at least in the short-term there isn't any heavy rainfall occurring over the Herbert and Tully catchments."

The Bruce Highway north of Ingham remains closed because of water over the road.

Meteorologist Mario Torrisi says river levels are mostly dropping in the lower Herbert region.

"Further downstream in the Halifax area we are seeing major flooding but again that's likely to begin to ease with the easing of the rainfall," he said.

'Tensions high'

Hinchinbrook Mayor Pino Giandomenico says tensions are high as heavy rain continues to fall in his shire, north of Townsville.

Hundreds of millimetres of rain fell to the north of the shire over the weekend, with the low pressure system now moving south.

Mr Giandomenico says residents are tired and are looking for a reprieve.

"I think 2011's going to be a season to remember and I think it's not letting up at all," he said.

"Everybody's concerned with the way the weather pattern's happening."

Mr Giandomenico says authorities are closely monitoring the region to assess if the persistent heavy rain will lead to flooding across towns in the district.

"Hopefully somewhere down the track it'll have shed all its water and all its tumultuous attitude and it will go back to sunny north Queensland," he said.

Storm warning

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for the central coast and Whitsundays, with flash flooding possible in Mackay and Sarina.

Mr Otto says the early morning storm has produced significant falls, with the Gooseponds receiving 114 millimetres, Rowallan Park 94 millimetres, and Dumbleton Rocks 80 millimetres.

He says the storm system will weaken throughout the morning.

"I would expect this sort of activity to be around for the next few hours, possibly lasting into late morning, but I think you're going to get back to more general sort of shower and storm later on in the week and even as early as tonight," he said.

Rainfall records

Weather bureau spokesman Jeff Sabburg says it was the sixth wettest summer on record.

"We're following on from the wettest spring on record, we've had the wettest December on record, we've had extreme rainfall events in January contributing to continued flooding," he said.

"We've had three tropical cyclones making landfall in Queensland, basically one each month, so all very significant."

Mr Sabburg says across Queensland more than 90 rainfall records were broken.

"If you look at the state and look at all the rainfall averaged that fell - we call it the area averaged over Queensland - more than 82 per cent of the state had at least above average rainfall during summer," he said.

Across the Wide Bay-Burnett region in southern Queensland, major centres recorded average rainfall at least 90 per cent above the summer average, including a three-month total of 1,055 millimetres in Gympie.

The weather bureau says more than 700 millimetres of rain fell on the Rockhampton area in central Queensland over summer, 86 per cent above the long-term average for the period.

Gladstone saw a 28 per cent increase and in Emerald, west of Rockhampton, summer rainfall was 20 per cent above average

Mr Sabburg says temperatures above average rainfall can also be expected over autumn.

"Continued above average rainfall further north of the state, however, basically around the central districts and below, going out west, you are looking at about average to slightly above average but most of the rainfall looks like shifting further north now," he said.

- Reporting by Kristy Sexton-McGrath, Chrissy Arthur, Kallee Buchanan, Natalie Poyhonen, Penny Timms, Melissa Maddison and Megan Lewis