Flash-flooding warning for north Queensland as west enjoys downpours

Updated

North Queenslanders are being drenched by heavy rain and storms, which could lead to flash flooding, but the downpours are being welcomed by outback communities.

Some farmers have received their biggest falls in three years, while others said the storms meant they were no longer enduring their driest year on record.

Costal communities, however, are bearing the brunt of the system.

A south-easterly wind surge is combining with an unstable and extremely moist air mass.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has cancelled a severe weather warning for the north-east tropical coast and nearby inland.

However, it said some localised heavy rainfalls were still possible with thunderstorms.

Rollingstone received 132 millimetres in the six hours to 4:30am.

Tanya Moon runs the town's post office and said locals were looking forward to more rain.

"We're pretty happy with it all because we've been without it for such a long time," she said.

"Those who have come into the shop are very happy it's been raining and would like some more."

Drought-stricken communities enjoy reprieve

A separate weather warning and flood watch remains in place for the Gulf Country, between Mornington Island and Karumba, where heavy rain is continuing and the high tide is expected to exceed the highest of the year.

A deep low over the Northern Territory has been slow moving and is expected to move south-east.

Farmers are enjoying the rain, although it is not enough to be drought breaking for many.

Elliot Dunn, from Queensland Fire and Emergency Service, said there were multiple road closures further west after downpours in a number of areas including Burketown in the Gulf and Cloncurry in the north west.

"We are asking people to keep away from western Queensland at the moment," he said.

"We don't want to see people stuck and certainly don't even attempt to drive through floodwaters."

Einasleigh, 250 kilometres south-west of Cairns, was drenched, receiving 224mm in 48 hours while Mount Surprise to its north saw 287mm.

There was 65 millimetres overnight at the Clancella property, 20 kilometres south of Charters Towers.

"I think it's the first time since we owned this place, in three-and-a-half years, that we've gone to bed with it raining and gotten up with it still raining," Kylie Stretton said.

"The most beautiful steady rain."

At Speculation homestead, 63 millimetres fell.

"The lagoon at the front of the house is full and Homestead Creek is running," Alison Barnicoat said.

"We were having our driest year on record until yesterday."

Meanwhile, police have found a family of five after they went missing on the road between Boulia and Winton, in the state's west, on Monday.

Sergeant Emma Riley said police had received a number of calls for help as roads went under water.

"It's a constant thing in these times when we're getting rain," she said.

"We are just stressing to the public to stay safe and you want to get home at the end of the day, so if it's flooded then forget it."

The Top End of the Northern Territory remains cut off by floodwaters and a man is still missing after being swept away.

Northern Territory police closed a 300-kilometre stretch of the Stuart Highway south of Katherine, between Mataranka to Elliot after rain flooded three sections of the road.

Drought far from over

Joan Croft, who lives west of Mount Isa, has yet to see any downpours but said she was looking to the sky with "hope".

"That's what graziers do, that's what farmers do. The first thing you do in the morning is turn on the TV and look at the weather map and see what weather is doing," she said.

"And if there's been any rain at about 6 o'clock the neighbours call up and say 'We've had 20 [millimetres] what have you had?' - it's a major event in the north west."

Longreach cattle producer Jenny Gordon has been scanning the horizon for rain clouds since Boxing Day.

Her property has not received the same summer storms experienced by drought-affected graziers in the north.

Ms Gordon runs the popular social media page Who Got The Rain?, where members are encouraged to share their rainfall totals and pictures all year.

She said plenty of farmers waiting for rain in parts of southern Queensland have missed out completely.

"It's pretty evident anyone below the Winton area and the certainly below central western Queensland [missed out]," she said.

"Hopefully it will stick in the inland areas a bit more and fill in some of those gaps.

"There are people from Hughenden to Muttaburra that have missed out, and as I said, most of the central west area, apart from a system at Blackall, haven't had any rain at all ... right across to the border."

More than 80 per cent of the state was considered drought-declared by the State Government before the monsoon formed over the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Ms Gordon said only 10 per cent of that area would have had enough rain to start turning things around.

"Those areas that have had some rain aren't out of the mire of drought yet," she said.

"It might be good in the sense that their waterways and dams will be filled up, but then they have to get their grasses to come on.

"The people who have had the good rain are going to need follow up, and then for everyone who missed out, we just need it to start and then follow up.

"By no means is this drought broken by this wonderful system that has come through."

Topics: emergency-planning, weather, rainfall, drought, disasters-and-accidents, rural, floods, winton-4735, mount-isa-4825, longreach-4730, townsville-4810, cairns-4870

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