Storms ‘more dangerous than a cyclone’ lash northern QLD after towns soaked by 1m of rain

A monsoonal low “more dangerous than a cyclone” is on the move and threatening another deluge for towns that have been smashed with almost 1m of rain in only days.

A monsoonal low “more dangerous than a cyclone” is on the move after smashing parts of northern Queensland with almost 1m of rain this week.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for thousands of Queenslanders living between Ayr, Townsville, and north of Tully of Friday.

Those areas are being warned to brace for isolated falls of up to 500mm and daily totals as high as 300mm as an offshore tropical low moves south through the weekend.

It comes after parts of the state’s north were smashed with heavy rains, with Mount Sophia reporting 925mm and Clyde Rd 825mm since 9am on Monday.

BOM senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said with soaked sections of the state facing prolonged heavy rains into next week, the forecast was a “big concern” for residents.

“That rainfall has kind of set the stage for possibly some pretty big flooding as we move into the weekend and early next week,” Mr Narramore said on Friday.

“Out catchments are now wet and saturated. We do have flood watches currently pretty much from Cairns all the way down to Mackay.

“From Innisfail all the way down to Tully and around Ayr, those locations, with this rainfall it could lead to not only flash flooding, but river flooding.

“As well as that really rapid response to flash flooding, particularly on the end of those heavy falls.”

While earlier fears of a tropical cyclone forming had diminished, Mr Narramore said the current forecast of prolonged heavy rains presented an even greater risk.

⚠️Severe Weather Warning for HEAVY RAINFALL
In parts of North Tropical Coast & Tablelands and Herbert &Lower Burdekin Forecast Districts.

Isolated heavy falls over Northeast Queensland this evening, becoming heavier and more widespread over the weekend.https://t.co/qmCl5AXm8spic.twitter.com/mIe68kzE3l

— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) January 30, 2025

“The tropical low sitting off the coast in coming days, bringing all this rain, is actually sucking the monsoonal low into that low,” he said.

“So, the cyclone chances are kind of diminished in The Gulf of Carpentaria and (as) the low crosses the Coral Sea.

“There is still a low chance, but this low sitting on the coast over the weekend and into next week is actually more dangerous in some ways.

“That is because we’re going to see multiple days of widespread heavy rainfall, leading to some pretty big-time flooding”. 

Mr Narramore said the low would start moving inland mid-next week, bringing “widespread storms across all North QLD, The Gulf, the Peninsula, and inland areas”.

The wet weather is expected to lash further south and become heavier over the Whitsundays, Burdekin region, Proserpine, Bowen and north of Mackay.

Flood watches were still in place for parts of the North Tropical Coast and central coast, with minor warnings along the Mulgrave, Russel, and Tully Rivers.

There were at least 38 calls to Queensland’s State Emergency Services since Thursday, including for leaking roofs, flooding and sandbag requests, and fallen trees.

It comes as heatwave warnings remain in place for swathes of western NSW, the NT, southwest Queensland, and much of Western Australia on Friday.

Temperatures of up to the high forties are forecast for WA. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology

The Bureau is predicting temperatures could soar past 40C in parts of WA and into the high 30s in Melbourne, Adelaide, and their surrounds by Sunday.

Heatwave conditions could also develop again in southern areas of NSW in the coming days.

Central NT can also expect searing temperatures from Friday, with the heat to potentially spread further north through the weekend.

Most of the country’s major cities are tipped to be spared the worst of the heat, with Sydney expected to reach a high of 28C at the weekend.

Brisbane is forecast to reach a maximum of 30C on Sunday with possible showers, with a peak of 33C in Canberra.

Residents in Melbourne and Adelaide can expect a scorching weekend with respective highs of 37C and 38C, followed by 34C and possible storms in Darwin and 33C in Perth.

Hobart is looking at a milder weekend high of 26C.

It comes as the Bureau warns of a more than 50 per cent chance a tropical low developing near northwest WA will develop into a cyclone.

The weather system is expected to develop well to the northwest of the state and will move west-southwest, away from the Pilbara coast.

Multiple tropical lows forming around Australia on Sunday. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology

It is expected to carry a moderate risk of a tropical cyclone late into Saturday, becoming a high chance on Sunday over open waters.

The tropical low is not expected to affect coastal or island communities, unlike two others expected to make landfall over northern QLD on the weekend.

While it has only a five per cent chance of developing into a cyclone, tropical low 12U is expected to make landfall at The Gulf of Carpentaria by Sunday.

Another low is expected to track over parts of northwest QLD and could bring gale-force winds and heavy rains, though has a low chance of becoming a cyclone.

A fourth system which the Bureau said would have a moderate or 20 per cent chance of becoming a cyclone on Sunday was also developing far northeast of the Coral Sea.

The low is unlikely to directly impact the Australian mainland.

Originally published as Storms ‘more dangerous than a cyclone’ lash northern QLD after towns soaked by 1m of rain