Three people have been rescued in north Queensland after parts of the state were smashed with “life-threatening” flash flooding – and the worst is yet to come.
The three women are being treated at Proserpine Hospital after they were found clinging to a tree in floodwaters in Palm Grove, north of Mackay, on Sunday afternoon.
Rising floodwaters are causing chaos in parts of the state as a monsoon trough brings severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall to the north coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology warns locally intense rainfall which could lead to “dangerous and life-threatening” flash flooding will continue on Monday over parts of the Herbert and Lower Burdekin and Central Coast and Whitsundays districts.
Six-hourly rainfall totals between 200 and 250mm with 24-hourly totals of up to 400mm are possible, particularly about the coast and ranges north of Mackay.
Although widespread heavy rain has eased north of Ayr, severe thunderstorms remain possible across the northeast tropics, including the Townsville area, the BOM said on Sunday.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services urged residents to keep up to date with warnings and alerts and not to attempt to drive through floodwaters.
It was a busy weekend for emergency services, with the QFES receiving 72 calls for help in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday.
Half of those calls related to flooding, and the rest were for structural issues or trees down, a spokesman said.
© AAP 2023
