While the chances of a tropical cyclone forming over the next few days is not high, a slow moving tropical low is making its presence felt within a narrow coastal strip of the Queensland coast centered between Cairns to the north and Ingham to the south.
Daily rainfall totals have almost reached 400 mm at isolated locations and weekly cumulative rainfall totals have exceeded 800 mm at Clyde Road Alert (Cumulative 7 day total is 825 mm to 9 am Wednesday morning at this weather station).
The monsoon has certainly broken for this part of the Queensland coast.
It should be noted that such high rainfall totals are limited to the coastal strip between Cairns and Ingham and west to the crest of the Great Dividing Range. Very little rainfall is penetrating inland.
There has been flooding of rivers and low lying areas but major flooding has not occurred to date. Much of the flooding is limited to those rivers that flow eastwards into the Coral Sea.
Even around Cairns, the total weekly cumulative rainfall varies from 271 mm to 382 mm. With an active phase of the monsoon, convective activity associated with the low has been a constant feature off the coastline over the past few days. Constant rainfall is then training onto the coastline resulting in such high rainfall totals. Orographic rainfall is clearly evident along the windward side of the ranges.
The regions on the leeward side of the ranges have received little or no rainfall.
Over the past two days, maximum rainfall figures have included:
For the 24 hours to 9 am Tuesday morning 28 January
- Bulgun Creek Alert - 234 mm.
- Clyde Road Alert - 222 mm.
- Murray Flats Alert - 183 mm.
- Hawkins Creek - 179 mm.
For the 24 hours to 9 am Wednesday morning 29 January
- Mt Sophia - 392 mm.
- Clyde Road Alert - 316 mm (Total for the 2 days 538 mm).
- Soouth Johnstone - 212 mm.
- Tung Oil Alert - 195 mm.
- Cardwell Range - 182 mm.
Attached is the cumulative rainfall totals for the week ending Wednesday 29 January 2025 for the affected region. While the feature image is not taken within the region, it highlights the convective thunderstorm and shower or rain activity that is occurring within the region which is leading to such high rainfall totals.
