After wreaking havoc in Cairns with heavy rain and flooding, ex-cyclone Nora has her sights on the rest of the Queensland coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the system is pushing south, prompting them to issue a severe weather warning for the area between Ingham and Townsville.
Forecasters said some parts of the region had already recorded more than 100mm of rain, with up to 170mm expected on Tuesday evening and another 100mm on Wednesday.
Visiting Cairns on Tuesday afternoon, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said they were closely monitoring the system, which could affect the entire Queensland coast by the Easter long weekend.
"At the moment I have senior officials in Brisbane doing some modelling to make sure our communities are safe if that happens," she said.
Ex-cyclone Nora has kept emergency services personnel busy in the state's far north, with 42 people rescued from floodwaters at two Cairns caravan parks on Monday night when 100mm of rain fell in one minute.
Three people were taken to hospital with minor injuries when water raged through the Big4 Crystal Cascades and the Coolwaters Holiday Park.
Many lost their vans, cars, and personal belongings.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) Far North Regional Operations Director Lance Duncan said while authorities had braced for rain, the strength of the downpour had been unexpected.
"We weren't prepared for 100mm of rain in a minute," Mr Duncan said.
Cairns remains cut off by flooding to the north and south, with both the Bruce Highway and Captain Cook Highway closed in parts.
Two people were rescued from their vehicle near the Captain Cook Highway early on Tuesday, while a person was saved after clinging to a tree at Yorkeys Knob.
Major flooding is expected with the Barron River tipped to reach its highest level in a decade.
The premier is due to travel on Wednesday to communities in the Cape York region which were hit by Cyclone Nora.
Australian Associated Press
