Rainfall is expected to ease over the coming days but any further water in already-soaked northern Australia will aggravate the flood disaster currently unfolding.
The intensity of rain in northern Queensland eased on Monday afternoon with six-hour totals peaking at 50 to 100mm rather than up to 600mm over the weekend.
There were still some isolated high rainfall totals between Innisfail and Ingham where 167mm was recorded at Clyde Road at Babinda and 149mm at Paluma.
But even as the rain eases, river levels are still rising.
"Some catchments are holding steady or even starting to fall, but others are still continuing to rise in response to past rainfall," meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said.
Good news overnight for Townsville residents, with the Ross River failing to reach the major flood level and peaking at 1.66m before it began subsiding.
But those evacuated in Townsville's "black zone" spanning Cluden, Hermit Park, Idalia, Oonoonba, Railway Estate and Rosslea have still been urged not to return home.
"Do not return home until you are advised to do so," Councillor Andrew Robinson said.
However, Ingham's swollen Herbert River is still on the rise with locals fearing it would reach beyond the record level of the 1967 mark at 15.2m.
The Herbert River at Abergowrie Bridge is at 13.35m and rising while at the Ingham Substation - where the 1967 record was held - it has begun falling to 14.34m.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that Tuesday could bring local heavy rainfall between Cairns and Townsville with a severe weather warning in place between Cardwell and Yabulu.
"Rainfall totals are expected to be lower than they were during the past weekend, but the rain is likely to be enough to prolong the existing flooding and potentially cause new areas of flooding," Ms Bradbury said.
She said totals could be anywhere from 10 to 100mm.
The bureau is forecasting the rain to become patchier on Tuesday afternoon with thunderstorms and showers lingering for the rest of the week.
"Any further rain will continue to feed into the already swollen rivers, prolonging flood impacts," Ms Bradbury said
"A more significant clearance in the wet weather is not forecast to arrive until late in the week, or even early next week."
Hundreds of people have been evacuated and many rescued across the region, with more than one metre of rain recorded near Townsville.
Queensland Police said there are nearly 300 people in evacuation centres across Townsville and Ingham.
The State Emergency Service responded to 46 calls since 3pm on Monday, with the majority for the agency to tarp leaking ceilings. Other calls were for sandbagging to prevent floodwaters and supplying food or medication.
Ergon Energy restored power to Palm Island, Balgal Beach, Bluewater, Magnetic Island, and Giru on Monday afternoon
It has restored power to half of Cardwell and will continue repairs on Tuesday. It is unclear when Ingham will be reconnected given the significant flood damage.
The impact on Palm Island
Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey shared the experiences of the Palm Island community with the ongoing disaster.
"I think the last number of days have been particularly challenging for our community, inundated with a lot of rainfall we certainly haven't seen in a very, very long time," said Mayor Lacey.
"As of Friday of last week, Palm Island had no access to the mainland, and we still don't have access at this time."
The community has just had power restored after being without it for several days.
"I'm pleased to advise that currently, we do have the energy crew on Palm Island, working to restore power, which is a big plus for us," they added.
Regarding support from emergency services, Mayor Lacey acknowledged the challenges of accessing remote areas but noted the community has managed well given their resources.
"It's really important that we plan ahead, especially as these types of events become more frequent.
Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey.
With the island community grappling with the aftermath of these unprecedented weather events, the Mayor Lacey reiterated a call for further government support in recovery efforts, including the establishment of community shelters and disaster recovery centers.
"We need to ensure that when we’re cut off, we have better ways to manage these types of events at the community level."
Mayor Lacey shared that such events are tied to the health of the land, sea, and sky, offering an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing effects of climate change on ancestral territories.
"I’ve lived on Palm Island my whole life, and this is the worst I’ve seen in terms of continuous deluge. Mother nature is telling us something—we need to take action on climate change."
