Heavy rainfall for the North Tropical Queensland Coast

20/04/2022

Issued at 2:00pm AEST on Wednesday 20 April 2022

Showers and thunderstorms are expected for parts of the tropical east coast over the coming days.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Helen Kirkup said showers and thunderstorms are expected to increase along the tropical east coast overnight Wednesday and on Thursday with heavy to locally intense rainfall possible each day from Thursday to Monday.

"The heaviest falls will depend on the position of the trough, with daily rainfall of 50 to 150 mm likely, and 24-hour totals of 200 to 300+ mm are possible on some areas, most likely during Thursday and Friday."

Parts of the tropical east coast, especially the Cassowary Coast, could receive a metre of rainfall over the coming days.

"A severe weather warning is expected to be issued this afternoon for parts of the Wet Tropics and a flood watch is likely to be issued later today for coastal catchments north of Townsville" said Ms Kirkup said.

While catchments in the north are dry, flash flooding remains possible, particularly in short duration, heavy to intense rainfall. The requirement for a flood watch is being assessed daily.

The Bureau is recommending communities stay up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings through the Bureau's website and BOM Weather app.

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