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  • 4 hours ago
Ex-tropical cyclone Maila is unleashing a torrent of rain across North Queensland. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a flood watch for several key river systems, including the Daintree, Mossman, Mulgrave, Russell, Tully, Herbert, Murray, and Black Rivers. As rainfall totals climb, these watches could be upgraded to warnings, so staying informed is paramount. Up to 200 millimetres of rain is forecast for some areas in Northern Territory and Queensland.
Transcript
00:00The remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Mylar have already started to bring moderate to
00:04heavy rainfall to parts of the North Queensland coast, and more rainfall is expected today
00:09and over the coming days, with the potential for flash flooding and possibly also riverine
00:15flooding.
00:16Hi, it's Christy at the Bureau, and let's start by taking a look at where ex-tropical
00:20cyclone Mylar has been tracking.
00:22Now, earlier this morning, we saw the system located over the far north of the Cape York
00:28Peninsula, extending a trough down towards the north tropical coast, with areas of moisture
00:33pushing across the peninsula and also pushing into, particularly towards the Cassowary Coast.
00:39In terms of rainfall totals through to 9am this morning, the heaviest rainfall was actually
00:44up in the Torres Strait, 170 millimetres at Coconut Island.
00:48But we also saw some significant rainfall through, particularly around the Cassowary Coast, getting
00:53up close to 100 millimetres at Topaz.
00:56Now, with that sort of rainfall already falling and more expected, we do have a flood watch
01:01current.
01:02Now, this is for the Daintree and Mossman Rivers up in the north, around the Cairns area, the
01:07Mulgrave and Russell Rivers, and also the Tully, Herbert, Murray, and now the Black River
01:13as well.
01:14So if you're in any of these areas, it's going to be really important to stay up to date with
01:18the latest forecasts and warnings, because a flood watch is issued when there's the potential
01:22for warnings to be needed in the coming day or so.
01:26So depending on how much rainfall falls over the next 24 to 48 hours, we may see some of
01:31these flood watches upgraded to warnings.
01:34So please make sure you're staying up to date.
01:37In terms of what we're expecting for the rest of today, we are still expecting to see showers
01:41and thunderstorms along the north tropical coast, potentially extending down towards the Townsville
01:46coast, and maybe as far as the Whitsundays or Mackay.
01:50We're also going to see those showers and storms extending to inland parts, particularly
01:55the northern goldfields and upper Flinders, and northern parts of the central west district.
01:59We will start to see showers easing over the far north though, moving out into the Gulf
02:04of Carpentaria.
02:06As we go through Thursday, we'll still see showers and storms along the north tropical
02:10coast, probably heaviest during the morning and perhaps starting to ease back a little
02:14bit in the afternoon.
02:16But the focus will start to shift to more central areas and the northwest of Queensland,
02:20as well as into eastern parts of the Northern Territory.
02:24And finally, through Friday, we are looking at those rainfall, showers and thunderstorms
02:30across a large part of northern Queensland, but also spreading through northern parts of
02:35the Northern Territory, particularly around the eastern end of the Top End.
02:41So how much rainfall are we expecting?
02:43Well, of course, we've already started to see 50 to 100 millimetres through parts of the
02:47north tropical coast.
02:48But these purple areas show that we could see a further one to 200 millimetres, possibly
02:54even more if we do get some thunderstorms moving over the same areas.
02:59Although we also have inland these more moderate rainfall totals, these yellow and orange areas,
03:06there are some patchy darker shades in there, and that shows where there is the potential
03:10for some heavier rainfall.
03:11So most places are expecting moderate rainfall, maybe 20 to 50 or 60 millimetres.
03:17But there is the potential for localised falls of more than that, potentially up around 70
03:22or 80 millimetres.
03:23And given how wet the ground is through northern Queensland, this could cause some localised
03:28flash flooding.
03:29Over the Northern Territory, again, the heaviest rainfall around the eastern end of the Top End,
03:35most likely, with more moderate rainfall totals through central and western parts.
03:41So it's going to be really important to start to date with the latest forecasts and warnings
03:44over the next few days, as we see where this rainfall falls and how much.
03:49In particular with thunderstorms, it's going to be important to check out the radar, as
03:53well as the forecasts and warnings.
03:54You can do that on the Bureau's website or the BOM Weather app.
03:57Follow all advice from your local emergency services and we'll see you in the next update.
04:02on the Bureau's website.
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