Extremely heavy rain has fallen in parts of northern Queensland, with plenty more to come.

In the 24 hours to 9am Tuesday, rainfall totals approaching 300mm were recorded at weather stations in three separate forecast districts: the North Tropical Coast and Tablelands, the Herbert and Lower Burdekin, and the Gulf Country.

The highest falls included:

• 287mm at Paradise Lagoon, a weather station located just up the coast from Townsville.
• 281mm at Clyde Rd, a near-coastal weather station situated near Babinda, south of Cairns. Its running 4-day total is now 745mm in this event.
• 280mm at Sweers Island, a small island in the Gulf of Carpentaria which is part of the South Wellesley Islands, about 10-20km offshore.
• The official stations at Cairns and Townsville were not among the highest overnight readings, but both still topped 50mm.
• The overnight rain in Cairns brought the total rainfall to more than 300mm over the last four days, with at least 50mm on each of those days.

This ongoing rain event is being fuelled by a moisture-laden onshore flow combining with a coastal trough, with enough instability to cause heavy rain and thunderstorms which will persist throughout much of the week.

A tropical depression over the Gulf of Carpentaria is enhancing the northeasterly inflow.

Image: Accumulated rainfall totals in Queensland to 10am Friday, March 21, 2025.

By the end of the week, some huge multi-day totals could accumulate. And if you look at the blue patches in the image above (the highest predicted rainfall zones), you’ll notice that some of the heaviest falls will again likely occur between Cairns and Townsville.

This is the strip of coastline and hinterland that saw incredibly heavy multi-day rainfall accumulations of well over a metre in late January and early February, which in some cases were record-breaking. Major riverine flooding occurred in that event. 

Numerous minor and moderate flood warnings are already in place for North Queensland rivers, so please check our warnings page for the latest advice, and remember never to drive into floodwaters.