<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>337770</docID> <postdate>2025-02-07 10:21:28</postdate> <headline>Rain won’t go away for flood-soaked towns</headline> <body><p><img class=" wp-image-337771" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250206179359154728-original-1.jpg" alt="" width="1020" height="680" /></p> <caption>A new wave of monsoonal rains could hit flood-ravaged areas in Northern Qld in the coming days. (Adam Head/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p class="wire-column__preview__author"><span class="kicker-line">By <b>Savannah Meacham</b> in Townsville</span></p> <p><strong>Heavy rainfall is expected to batter northern Australia again with monsoonal conditions forecast to drench flood-ravaged areas and the possibility of a tropical cyclone.</strong></p> <p>North Queensland is on flood watch again with heavy rain and storms to ramp up from Friday into the weekend, likely renewing water level rises.</p> <p>After a slight reprieve in heavy rainfall on Wednesday, the region copped hundreds of millimetres of rain on Thursday which led to flash flooding in Townsville.</p> <p>The Bureau of Meteorology said Townsville was hit by 142mm of rain in the past day, while further south the Burdekin region recorded 221mm.</p> <p>But the bureau is warning rainfall will escalate from Friday in another round of showers, rain and thunderstorms around Townsville and Mackay.</p> <p>This weather system may bring another 50mm to 150mm of rain with even higher isolated falls.</p> <p>Over the weekend the rainfall will grow to 300mm from Ayr to Tully, the bureau warned.</p> <p>"Unfortunately this is not great news for areas that have already experienced severe flooding and heavy rainfall over the last week or so," meteorologist Dean Narramore said on Friday.</p> <p>A tropical low is expected to develop in the Coral Sea off the Queensland coast on Saturday which the bureau warned had a low chance of becoming a cyclone.</p> <p>However, it is expected to move east from the mainland over the weekend.</p> <p>A number of flood warnings are in place from the far north's Cairns to Saint Lawrence in central Queensland.</p> <p>More support and emergency services are bound for the north with the recovery effort underway.</p> <p>Ingham has been one of the worst hit with floodwaters cutting power, disrupting telecommunications and affecting food supply.</p> <p>Power was finally restored and a temporary crossing built on a damaged bridge for emergency services to transport much-needed supplies late on Thursday.</p> <p>But the sodden town is again on alert due to the latest forecast.</p> <p>The army helped construct the temporary crossing on the collapsed Ollera Creek Bridge that had left Ingham residents stranded.</p> <p>It will initially be open for emergency services to deliver critical supplies to the flood-hit town.</p> <p>The Ingham substation that had been inundated was also switched back on to progressively restore power to the thousands who had been left in the dark for almost a week.</p> <p>Ergon Energy is set to fast-track restoration work and transport more generators to help Ingham recover from flooding that claimed two lives.</p> <p>Supermarket supplies also remain a priority for the north with the state government triggering a disaster planning event for businesses to operate 24/7 for a short window.</p> <p>Two planes were due to fly to Cairns to provide food supplies for Weipa and the tropical coast.</p> <p>Another flight with refrigerated goods is expected in the north on Friday.</p> </body>