Wild weather on its way for the north in wake of cyclone.
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00:00Intensely heavy rainfall and significant, potentially life-threatening flash flooding
00:04are expected to develop about parts of the north tropical coast from this evening, continuing
00:09over the weekend.
00:11We have a number of warnings already current, with further warnings expected this weekend,
00:15so let me take you through the key risks, starting with a look at today's thunderstorm
00:18outlook.
00:19We'll focus on the yellow area on this map, which shows us where severe thunderstorms
00:23are possible.
00:24Now that covers the stretch of coast between Cooktown and Mackay, some of those inland
00:28areas as well.
00:30In that area, we may see storms becoming severe through this morning and afternoon, producing
00:34heavy rainfall locally that could lead to flash flooding.
00:37We will issue warnings as needed.
00:40As we move into this evening though, that risk of heavy rainfall becomes a lot more
00:44focused on the stretch of coast that extends from Cairns all the way down to Bowen.
00:49That risk is really flagged in our severe weather warning.
00:52It's telling us that we may see these heavy rainfall totals even away from thunderstorm
00:56activity.
00:57Now, this risk from this evening is flagging potential 6-hourly rainfall totals of as much
01:03as 180 mm.
01:05Now that's an incredible amount of rain to fall in such a short space of time, and as
01:09we move into the weekend, we're going to see those rain rates only increasing.
01:14We may in fact see intense rainfall across parts of this coastline over the next few
01:19days, particularly between Innisfail and Eyre, which could lead to life-threatening flash
01:24flooding.
01:25Now that's more than just water moving over roads and footpaths, possibly coming into
01:29your home.
01:30That is flooding that occurs very quickly and can pose a sudden and significant risk
01:35to your life and personal safety.
01:38As well as the flash flooding risk, we're also going to see riverine flooding becoming
01:42increasingly likely over the weekend.
01:45We already have a number of minor flood warnings in place for the Mulgrave River, the Tully,
01:50Murray and Don Rivers, with flood watches extending along this stretch of coast.
01:54Now over the weekend, as those incredible amounts of rain move through our water catchments,
01:59we are likely to see many of these flood watch areas and warnings upgraded to moderate to
02:04major flooding across a broad stretch of this coast.
02:09Riverine flooding is more long-lasting than flash flooding, which means that we could
02:12see these riverine flooding impacts continuing well into next week.
02:17So to recap those hazards quickly, we are likely to see dangerous, life-threatening
02:22flash flooding occurring from this evening into the weekend, where those highest rainfall
02:27totals occur.
02:29We are likely to see prolonged riverine flooding developing this weekend, but continuing into
02:33next week as our river catchments respond.
02:37We're also likely to see damage to your property, your personal property, as well as crops and
02:41vegetation as that water moves across our coastline.
02:45Now the driving factor for all of this wet weather is a low-pressure system that's sitting
02:49to the southeast of Cairns.
02:51That is the tropical low 13u, and it's dragging in a lot of moisture and pushing it across
02:56that part of the coast.
02:58As we move through tonight and across the weekend, we can also see that it's dragging
03:02in some very strong winds and directing them along the same stretch of coast too.
03:06That means that in addition to the rain, we could also see marine gales, some locally
03:11damaging wind gusts, and the possibility of damaging surf along this stretch of coast
03:16this weekend.
03:18The rain is really going to be the main focus though.
03:20Even as we go through Saturday and Sunday and into Monday, we're likely to see heavy
03:25falls still occurring about parts of this stretch of coast as this low-pressure system
03:29refuses to move away.
03:31It is going to result in very high rainfall totals across the period to the end of Monday.
03:36We've got the colours, the purple and black colours, showing the top end of our scale,
03:41well in excess of 300mm likely between Innisfail and Mackay.
03:46In fact, some isolated locations could see more than 500mm or 600mm across the course
03:51of this weekend, depending on exactly where that low-pressure system is sitting.
03:57This weekend presents a significant and dangerous risk of rainfall and flooding for those living
04:03and moving through the North Tropical Coast.
04:05It is essential to keep up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings via the Bureau's
04:09website, the BOM Weather App and via our social media.
04:12Stay safe and we'll catch you in the next update.