The cyclone risk for northern Australia has been downgraded but heavy rainfall and flooding are still battering the region.
Northern Australia is being battered by heavy rainfall and flooding as multiple tropical lows form with the possibility of escalating to cyclones.
Cairns down to Mackay in far north Queensland has been hit by heavy rainfall overnight as two tropical lows linger off the coastline.
Tully, Innisfail and Gordonvale were hit by up to 250mm of rain on Wednesday night into Thursday morning while Mackay received around 150mm.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the tropical north has received more than 600mm of rain in just three days.
Areas around Cairns on Thursday can expect rain to ease, however, showers and thunderstorms are forecast to develop in the afternoon further south in Bowen and Mackay.
These areas are at risk of severe thunderstorms and flash flooding later on Thursday.
Several flood warnings are in place after heavy rainfall over several days in the region.
A tropical low is currently sitting off the coast of Cairns which is the cause of the heavy rainfall over the last 48 hours but senior meteorologist Jonathan How said it will start to move away over the next three days.
It is now unlikely to develop into a tropical cyclone, he said.
“The chance of this system becoming a tropical cyclone over the weekend has fallen from 25 per cent and is now back to 15 per cent,” he said on Thursday.
However, there are still four other tropical lows across northern Australia including one in the Gulf of Carpentaria, one offshore of Queensland in the Coral Sea and two in Western Australia that could become cyclones.
How said the tropical low in the Gulf of Carpentaria still has a 25 per cent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone from Sunday.
It is forecast to move across the coast over the weekend bringing heavy rainfall and flooding between Townsville and Cairns.
It will then begin tracking south towards the Gulf Coast later in the weekend which will increase rainfall for far northwest Queensland including places like Normanton, Mt Isa and even into the eastern Northern Territory.
Despite multiple tropical lows lingering around Queensland’s north with the chance of escalating, meteorologists say it’s business as usual for Australia’s cyclone season.
The bureau said a couple of cyclones occurring simultaneously across Australia was not unusual at this time of year.
“It’s not that uncommon. We do see two (cyclones) in the Australian region at the same time,” How told AAP on Wednesday.
Queenslanders are yet to see a cyclone since back-to-back systems struck in a month in the 2023-24 season, with Jasper and then Kirrily causing widespread flooding.