Weather Alert: Cyclonic rain hits Queensland, Victoria under severe heatwave

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Cyclonic rainfall totals have lashed the regions of north Queensland as prepare to leave warnings were issued for six suburbs across Townsville.

The state’s north has been hit by torrential rain for days resulting in road closures, flash flooding and multiple rescues due to tropical lows off the coast.

Further rainfall is forecast through to at least Monday with totals of 200mm to 350mm between Cairns and Mackay, after isolated areas received in excess of 1000mm in the last week.

Severe weather warnings remain for those regions that will likely cause dangerous and life-threatening flash and riverine flooding in catchments, the Bureau of Meteorology’s Matt Collopy said on Saturday.

Two tropical lows around north Queensland are fuelling the deluge but are unlikely to form into a cyclone. A third in the Coral Sea has a moderate chance of forming into a tropical cyclone.

Collopy said the region is experiencing cyclonic rainfall totals without it being declared.

“It’s exactly that,” he said. “You don’t need a tropical cyclone to concentrate the monsoon and get these extreme rainfall totals.”

Authorities have been door-knocking across six low-lying Townsville suburbs — Cluden, Hermit Park, Idalia, Oonoonba, Railway Estate and Rosslea — after the local disaster management group said flooding to second-storey floors is possible.

An evacuation centre in Heatley is open for affected residents.

“My message to people in these areas who are on the prepare to leave warning, make the provisions in the event you do have to go,” Premier David Crisafulli said.

Some 3100 homes have been door knocked on Saturday with further expected as the rainfall continues.

A disaster declaration is in place for Townsville and Innisfail. No lives have been lost or missing persons recorded.

A very wet weekend is forecast for large parts of Australia’s north, including Townsville. Source: AAP / Scott Radford-Chisholm

Additional police, SES and Fire Department resources have been deployed to the region, the state’s disaster coordinator Shane Chelepy said.

About 300 power company staff are on standby while the Australian Defence Force has been engaged and is assisting on the ground in Townsville.

Chelepy implored residents to stay alert for emergency warnings and heed the advice of authorities.

“We do not want to be rescuing you when floodwaters come up, it puts you, your family and our emergency services personnel at risk,” he said.

“This is a very serious and dangerous event and I believe the next 24 hours will be critical.”

Flood watches are in place for the Burdekin, Proserpine and Black rivers, a major flood warning exists for the Haughton, Herbert, Ross, Bohle and Black rivers.

The weather bureau said residents in the state’s north are likely to see this protracted flooding into the middle of next week.

On Friday evening an emergency flood alert was issued for Townsville by the local disaster management group, saying localised flooding was happening and people should be prepared to leave as conditions could change quickly.

Townsville Local Disaster Management Group chair Andrew Robinson said they are not expecting a disaster of a similar magnitude as in 2019, when a monsoonal trough hovered over the city and caused flooding that took lives and destroyed thousands of homes.

“Don’t wait until it’s too late, should be the catch cry,” Cr Robinson told reporters on Saturday.

The council has been releasing water from the Ross River Dam to manage water levels.

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Victoria set for heatwave

The Country Fire Authority is urging those in high-risk bushfire areas to finalise their fire survival plans as a hot spell is forecast into next week.

The mercury is set to jump into the high 30Cs and low 40Cs from Saturday across Victoria with the chance of dry thunderstorms and lightning increasing the risk of fires in the western and central districts.

“With multiple significant fires already burning in the Grampians and Little Desert, this stretch of hot and dry weather could make conditions even more challenging for firefighters,” CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said.

“We need all Victorians, particularly those in high-risk areas, to act now. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

Firefighters were trying to contain the blazes and prevent damage to the Grampians National Park that is home to about 200 Indigenous rock art sites.

Crews have been scrambling to take advantage of benign weather to backburn and help protect communities and the environment.

Three bushfires continue to burn in the Grampians while the bushfire threat in the Little Desert National Park has reduced with crews on track to contain it ahead of the weekend.

People looking to cool off during the hot spell have been reminded to prioritise water safety as temperatures soar, with Life Saving Victoria urging people to swim with friends between red and yellow flags, keep an eye on children around the water and