The big wet continues to pound north Queensland,with residents from Innisfail to Bowen warned more heavy falls are on the way.

February 1, 2019

Mop up operations are underway in and around Townsville following days of torrential rain, flash flooding and landslips.

The big wet isn’t done with north Queensland yet, however, with residents from Innisfail to Bowen warned more heavy falls are possible well into next week.

A disaster situation has been declared by Queensland government and all schools and childcare centres in the Townsville area will remain closed on Friday.

The vast monsoon trough extends from the Gulf of Carpentaria across to the tropical coast near Cardwell. 

It has forced residents from their homes as flash floods washed cars, swing sets, fridges, livestock and a tractor away.

The weather system is expected to start to slowly shift northwards.

But a severe weather warning, extending from north of Tully to Proserpine and almost as far inland as Greenvale, was issued late on Thursday.

Bands of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with the potential to produce flash flooding are possible within the warning area on Friday, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Six-hourly rainfall totals between 150mm to 200mm are likely with this activity, with isolated heavier falls possible.

Major floods warnings have been issued for the Haughton, Herbert, Ross and Bohle rivers.

A flood watch is in place for catchments from the Daintree to Mackay, where more than 80 schools and child care centres will remain closed on Friday.

The once in 20-year weather event caused residents in Townsville to be evacuated after a landslip damaged an apartment complex’s foundation and retaining walls on Thursday.

Further south, people in low-lying homes at Alligator Creek, Nome, Julago and Giru were warned to move to higher ground as the monsoon trough dumped 100mm of rain in three hours.

Townsville’s Ross River Dam is at 140 per cent of capacity, forcing operator SunWater to partially open its spill gates.

North of the city at Bluewater, where homes were swamped by more than a metre of water on Wednesday, up to 30 properties are understood to have been swamped, with some homes seriously damaged.