Rain set to move from western Queensland down to the south-east
Tin Can Bay Road in Gympie has flooded amid heavy rainfall in the region. (Supplied: Jess Looker)
In short:
A trough is moving from western Queensland to the south-east corner, bringing heavy rain with it.
Thunderstorm warnings are expected to be issued in the coming days.
What's next?
The rain is expected to ease by Sunday, when light showers are expected.
The weather system that brought significant rainfall to western Queensland is moving towards the south-east corner of Queensland.
The Gulf Country and parts of central and south Queensland are on flood watch, with minor to major flooding warnings across catchments.
Bureau of Meteorology Senior Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said more rainfall and thunderstorm activity was expected throughout the state on the weekend.
"In southern inland Queensland, we may see some heavy falls through those areas even away from the thunderstorms,"she said.
"But as we move into the weekend, the rain is going to shift towards the east coast, so that means much of south-east Queensland will see its wettest day on Saturday," she said.
Ms Bradbury said falls of up to 20 to 50 millimetres could be expected around Brisbane and the Gold Coast for Friday, with similar totals moving into the weekend along with storm activity.
"Similar numbers are on the cards tomorrow, but then will ease right back on Sunday," she said.
Major flood warning near Mackay
A major flood warning is in place for the Pioneer River at Mackay.
"Our river systems have responded really rapidly to this rain fall."
"Over the coming days we are likely to see further changes to these flood warnings as flood peaks continue to move down stream," Ms Bradbury said.
Townsvilles Strand was hit hard by heavy rain, as the city continues to receive record amounts of rain. (ABC North Queensland: Georgia Loney)
Heavy rain has caused localised flooding in the Whitsundays, the Pioneer Valley, and Mackay.
The Bruce Highway is closed south of Proserpine at Goorganga Plains, and the Whitsunday Coast Airport is closed due to flooding on access roads.
In Mackay there are 20 roads affected by flooding and 24 in the Whitsunday Regional Council area.
Multiple people rescued from cars
Isaac SES local controller Brandon Goode said multiple people were rescued from their cars in the Mackay-Isaac region on Friday morning, including a mother, her children and newborn in Mirani.
"The lady had come back from school drop off and didn't judge the depth of the water. The water had then come up to her car and actually immobilised the engine," Mr Goode said.
"They were still inside at the time — the water had actually come up through the doors and into the carpet area. So it was quite scary for the children and the mother as well.
"Luckily, we were on scene at the time, and we were able to offer assistance with a range of other members of public who helped out."
Queensland Police said two men had to be rescued after their car entered floodwater near Kelsey Creek.
They climbed onto the roof and were taken to dry land by a passer-by in a tinnie.
No-one was injured.
In a separate incident, another driver was rescued off the top of his vehicle after driving into the floodwaters in Foulden on Friday afternoon.
A driver was rescued off the top of his vehicle after driving into the flooded Pioneer River at Fursden Creek. (ABC Tropical North: Danielle Jesser)
Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson said he was concerned about low lying areas of the Mackay region as high tides are due later tonight.
"We've seen river heights of seven metres but that has since fallen. At the moment it's pretty contained. But that could very well change,"Cr Williamson said.
"People think they know the roads but if there is water over it I urge them to just forget it."
Schools and community facilities in and around Mirani and toward the Pioneer Valley have been closed for the day due to staff shortages.
Townsville hit with more rain
Further north was hit again with more rain, with Townsville recording 39mm on Thursday and 115mm on Wednesday, but the Bureau of Meteorology predicts this should slightly ease.
"Those higher falls are less likely than the last few days.
"For the rest of today, the focus for the rainfall is starting to shift slightly further south, so it's more the central coast that will see heavier rainfalls,"Ms Bradbury said.
Parts around Ingham had in excess of 100mm, with 134mm at Allingham and 119mm at Halifax on Thursday.
Streets in Giru, south of Townsville, were under water yesterday, for the third time this year. (Supplied )
Townsville is on the cusp of breaking its annual rainfall record of 2400mm, set 25 years ago.
A king tide is expected to peak on Friday morning, bringing more inundation to low-lying suburbs.
Residents in at-risk homes are being urged to move their belongings to higher ground, while drivers have been told to take care on flooded roads.
Heavy Sunshine Coast falls
Parts of the Sunshine Coast hinterland have recorded more than 100mm of rain in the past 24 hours and the heaviest falls are not expected until Saturday.
A minor flood watch has been issued for the Mary River at Gympie with minor flooding possible.
Some road closures around the region, particularly in Gympie, have been reported.
Sandbagging stations are open on Friday in the Gold Coast. (ABC Gold Coast: Steve Keen)
Further south, the Gold Coast city council will open sandbagging stations as a precaution for residents in low-lying areas.
Gold Coast local disaster coordinator Mark Ryan said parts of the city were vulnerable from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
"Out of an abundance of caution we've opened up our three sandbagging stations,"Mr Ryan said.
"The area is really, really wet, so it'll be responsive. So things like flash flooding, if you're in low-lying areas, you might want to consider those preparations."
Earlier this month, some of these residents experienced a deluge of rain from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Possible flooding west of Rockhampton
In the Central Highlands, flash flooding is expected and the local council is asking residents in the towns of Rubyvale, around Policemans Creek, and Sapphire, around Retreat Creek, to monitor conditions for possible flooding.
Rainfall is expected to continue from now until Sunday, and bridges and low-lying roads are predicted to be impacted.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts up to 70mm will fall from today in Emerald.
"We may see some heavier falls inland from the central coast and parts of the Capricornia, but they're going to be largely driven by thunderstorms," Miriam said.
Meanwhile, western Queensland is forecast to see a reprieve from the heavy rains.
The highest rainfall in the state on Thursday was near Stonehenge, south of Longreach, with 227mm, and south of Charleville had 177mm.
Falls of up to 25mm are expected today in Winton and under 10mm on Saturday.