Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Issued at 1:55 pm AEST on Wednesday 18 March 2026

Flood Watch Number: 17

RENEWED MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING LIKELY WITH ISOLATED MAJOR FLOODING POSSIBLE FROM OVERNIGHT THURSDAY

FLOODING CONTINUES ACROSS PARTS OF THE FLOOD WATCH AREA

Tropical Cyclone Narelle is intensifying in the Coral Sea, while moving westwards towards the Far North Queensland coast. Narelle is forecast to cross the coast on Friday. As the cyclone approaches, heavy to locally intense rainfall is forecast to develop across far northern Queensland and the North Tropical Coast from late Thursday or early Friday. This rainfall is likely to cause renewed minor to moderate flooding in the Flood Watch area from overnight Thursday. Isolated major flooding is also possible.

Catchments across the Flood Watch area are wet to saturated from recent rainfall, and are expected to respond quickly to further rainfall.

River level rises and minor to moderate flooding are likely and isolated major flooding is possible from overnight Thursday. Disruption to transport routes is likely across parts of the Flood Watch area.

Widespread minor to major flooding continues across large parts of Queensland, with multiple Flood Warnings current.

Catchments likely to be affected include:
Jacky Jacky Creek

Olive and Pascoe Rivers

Lockhart River

Stewart River

Normanby River

Jeannie River

Endeavour River

Daintree River
(including the Bloomfield River)

Mossman River

Barron River

Mulgrave and Russell Rivers

Johnstone River

Tully River

Murray River

Herbert River

Staaten River

Mitchell River
(elevated levels expected along Magnificent Creek at Kowanyama)

Coleman and Edward Rivers

Holroyd and Kendall Rivers

Archer and Coen Rivers

Watson River

Embley and Mission Rivers

Wenlock River

Ducie, Jackson and Skardon Rivers

Jardine River

A tropical cyclone advice is current for Far North Queensland.

For the latest flood and weather warnings see www.bom.gov.au/weather-and-climate/warnings-and-alerts

For the latest rainfall and river level information see www.bom.gov.au/australia/flood
Safety Advice:

Don't drive, walk, swim or play in floodwater because it is dangerous.
Stay away from flooded drains, rivers, streams and waterways.
Obey road closure signs. Plan ahead so you don't drive on flooded roads.
Check the ABC and local media for updates. The situation can change quickly, so stay informed.
For local emergency management warnings and advice visit www.disaster.qld.gov.au/warnings.

For emergency assistance call SES on telephone number 132 500. In life-threatening emergencies, call 000 (triple zero) immediately.

Rainfall and River Conditions Map