A severe thunderstorm warning for dangerous and life-threatening flooding has been issued for Queensland's far north as heavy rain continues to lash the region.
Rising floodwaters have cut the north's primary transport corridor, with the Bruce Highway closed in multiple locations.
The warning includes coastal areas between Ayr and St Lawrence and adjacent inland areas and follows torrential falls of 100mm in an hour just northwest of Airlie Beach.
Minor, moderate and major flood warnings have been issued for multiple river systems across Queensland, with further warnings likely in coming days.
Major flood warnings are current for the Don River and Pioneer River.
Daily rainfall totals are likely to exceed 200mm, with isolated totals up to 400mm possible.
The Bureau of Meteorology says six-hour rainfall totals of up to 180mm are likely in Mackay, Proserpine, Bowen, Collinsville, Hamilton Island and Ayr on Monday.
However, the coast and ranges north of Mackay could be pummelled with between 250mm and 400mm in the next 24 hours.
"Locally intense rainfall which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is also possible over far southeastern parts of the Herbert and Lower Burdekin coast and the Central Coast and Whitsundays," the bureau said in an alert.
The forecaster said six-hour totals of up to 150mm are possible in parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields district as well.
It follows days of wet weather with falls of 317mm recorded at Jubilee Pocket, 299mm at Peter Faust Dam, 252mm at Preston, 237mm at Bowen and 230mm at Proserpine.
In the five days to 9am Monday, parts of north Queensland were swamped by rainfall totals between 500 to 700 mm of rain.
Acting Premier Steven Miles says a number of people have been rescued from floodwaters or stranded by road closures, but there have been no lives lost.
He urged people to take care on the roads with a broader part of central and northern regions under active thunderstorm warnings on Monday.
"Of course, today as people start to return from holidays and return from the weekend, there'll be more people trying to travel around, so if you're in that area, please look out for warnings of course, do everything that's asked," Mr Miles told reporters in Maryborough.
"If the road's closed, if it's flooded, forget it."
Meanwhile, three women rescued from a tree after becoming stranded in floodwaters north of Mackay are recovering from the ordeal.
The women are being treated at Proserpine Hospital after they were found clinging to the tree in Palm Grove on Sunday afternoon.
"It really turns it on sometimes up north and we've got a really humid tropical air mass up there at the moment, and a trough and all the areas sort of feeding into that trough," senior forecaster Steve Hadley told ABC radio on Monday.
"Be aware that there is some flooding around over the next few days and that heavy rainfall as well.
"It should ease off towards the middle of the week."
Rain and thunderstorms will continue until Wednesday around the central coast of Queensland, while showers and thunderstorms will continue across much of northern Australia and inland Queensland.
Rain and storms may ease later on Wednesday as the trough weakens and moves northwards and offshore.
More broadly, showers and thunderstorms are possible over Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, which may produce flash flooding and localised disruptions.
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