Storms and flooding throughout south east Queensland have been declared a catastrophe by insurers as more rains are forecast.

Falls of up to 30mm are expected in the region today and thunderstorms remains a possibility, says the Bureau of Meteorology.

Tropical Cyclone Uesi has formed in the Coral Sea just north west of Vanuatu and was expected to strengthen in the days ahead as it moves southwards towards New Caledonia tomorrow and Wednesday.

A tropical cyclone located to the north of New Caledonia could move closer to Australia later this week. After days of heavy rain and flooding in parts of Queensland and NSW, many are wondering: will Uesi impact Australia? https://t.co/uStdximW6E pic.twitter.com/lw9PONEaeI — Weatherzone (@weatherzone) February 10, 2020 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The category 2 storm is not expected to impact the Queensland coast except for large swells.

Insurers expect a large number of claims for damage caused by rains along the east coast of Australia after heavy falls this weekend.

It is the sixth catastrophe declared nationally in the past five months after a series of bushfire and extreme weather events, the Insurance Council of Australia says.

“So far, most of the claims are from south-east Queensland and along NSW coastal regions, but damage has also been reported several hundred kilometres inland and in the ACT,” the council’s Karl Sullivan said.

In Queensland, moderate to minor flood warnings remain in place across the state.

The town of Dalby, northwest of Brisbane, has been warned of more potential flooding after heavy rainfall in the region.

Play equipment covered in debris and surrounded by flood water in Dalby, Queensland. Picture: Dan Peled

Rain is also forecast for the Cape York Peninsula with a monsoon off the coast.

Western parts of Queensland are forecast to stay dry throughout the week, and a trough is preventing rain heading to the state’s southwest.

There is good news for the drought-stricken southern interior, however, where further falls are forecast to start the week.

Up to 15mm of rain could fall in the town of Stanthorpe, which officially ran out of drinking water in January and had to start trucking in supplies from a nearby dam.

Southern Downs mayor Tracy Dobie said Stanthorpe’s main water supply, Storm King Dam, recently had a month’s worth of drinking water flow into it.

“We have had almost as much rain in January and February as we had in all of 2019,” Ms Dobie told AAP.

She said the dam would need six months’ worth of water to end water trucking.

Rains are expected to ease in Queensland throughout the week.