Mackay weather: Steady rain drenches region as tropical low moves

Wind gusts in excess of 100km/h have been recorded at Hamilton Island as the tropical monsoon trough heads south. LATEST HERE

A severe weather warning is active for parts of the region as gusts lash islands and Mackay hunkers down for strong winds overnight.

Hamilton Island has recorded gusts of in excess of 100km/h and the Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds for the Whitsundays forecast district.

That area includes the northern fringes of the Mackay region which has recorded gusts of 61km/h earlier Thursday.

The weather is associated with a tropical low that is located over the Coral Sea near the Townsville coast.

“Damaging southeasterly winds averaging 60 to 70 km/h, with peak gusts of around 90km/h are expected to develop Thursday afternoon before tending more southerly and easing below warning threshold overnight,” the bureau said.

It comes after heavy rains overnight in Mackay including more than 160mm in the Northern Beaches area.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a marine wind warning on Thursday that remains current at 3pm, with the Mackay Coast expected to feel stronger winds.

Onshore, southeasterly winds are tipped to reach about 45km/h.

Wind gusts up to 57km/h were recorded in Mackay overnight while Hamilton Island recorded gusts of 87km/h, and just more than 33mm of rain since 9am Wednesday.

A flood watch remains for the Don and Proserpine River basin and its tributaries including the O’Connell River, St Helen’s Creek, Murray Creek, Constant Creek and McCreadys Creek.

The flood watch area stretches from the Cape York Peninsula down to Proserpine, with a tropical low in the far north forecast to move east across the cape Wednesday afternoon.

As it moves offshore, the bureau predicted the heaviest rainfall would hit the eastern coastal catchments overnight Wednesday and into Thursday.