Parts of northern Qld will cop a brief soaking over the next 24 hours, with minor flooding possible in some areas from Friday.

A weak tropical low located over the northern interior of Qld on Thursday morning is forecast to move east and across the state’s northeast tropical coast on Thursday night, before passing offshore and over the Coral Sea on Friday.

This low is being fed with copious tropical moisture and causing areas of heavy rain over northern Qld.

During the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday, Normanton collected 104 mm and Lower Walker Creek, located a bit further north, picked up 187 mm. The heaviest rain is now spreading further east with the passage of the low, targeting coastal districts in the state’s northeast tropics.

The map below shows how much rain one computer model is predicting on Thursday and Friday combined.

A Flood Watch has been issued for Qld’s coastal catchments between Tully and Ayr, where minor flooding is possible from Friday. Rapid creek and river rises are possible with the forecast rainfall, so localised flash flooding is possible. Flooding may also extend outside the Flood Watch area if the low moves further north or south than expected.

Rain should ease from Friday into the weekend as the low moves out into the Coral Sea. At this stage, the system only has a low chance of developing into a tropical cyclone once offshore, although it is not expected to develop quick enough to pose any direct threat to the Australian mainland.

Check the latest warnings for the most up-to-date information on flooding.