FREE AT LAST: Nina, 4, and Molly, 2, Elsley of Currumbin escape cabin fever to play outside despite the blustery conditions at Narrowneck Beach on the Gold Coast. Source: The Courier-Mail
Brothers Jessie, 14, and Jake, 17, Gibbs help clean up their parents' mechanical workshop in Patrick Street, Dalby after Myall Creek broke its banks. Picture: Martinelli David Source: The Courier-Mail
Pat Denman stands ankle-deep in her flooded lounge room in Woods St, Dalby. Picture: David Martinelli Source: The Courier-Mail
Vicki Gibbs looks out to a sea of water surrounding the family business in Patrick St. Picture: David Martinelli Source: The Courier-Mail
FLOODWATERS are rising and the rain keeps falling as a sodden state braces for a possible cyclone threat. Follow our ROLLING COVERAGE here.
1.58pm: North Queensland is braced for another deluge, but forecasters are downplaying the risk of a cyclone crossing the coast.
Forecaster Tony Auden says the Bureau of Meteorology is keeping a close eye on a strengthening monsoonal trough over the Coral Sea.
He says there's a 20 to 50 per cent chance of a cyclone forming late in the week or next week, but it's unlikely to cross the coast.
Heavy rain associated with the trough - up to 200mm over 24 hours - is expected to fall from Cairns to Mackay on Monday and Tuesday and may continue throughout the week.
Up to 300mm of rain fell near Mackay over the 24 hours from 9am (AEST) Sunday.
10.56am:
Mackay is copping a drenching from storm rains today, with 53mm falling in just one hour this morning southwest of the city.
As the southeast starts to dry out after a soaked weekend, the weather bureau has warned of flash flooding today between Mackay and Sarina.
In the 24 hours to 9am, Prospect Creek southwest of the city had 206mm.
The bureau also expects moderate to heavy rain over the southern interior today and scattered showers and storms over most of the east coast and the Channel Country.
Drought-breaking rain may occur in the far southwest tomorrow, with moderate to heavy falls predicted.
The monsoon trough across the Coral Sea is expected to deepen over the week, with a moderate chance of a cyclone forming.
Forecasters expect that if this occurs, it will be well offshore and move east, away from the coast.
9.50am: The Western Downs Regional Council said 37 homes in Dalby had water through them.
Mayor Ray Brown said the area's second flood in five weeks had also hit farmers who were preparing to harvest summer crops.
"It's gouged a lot of areas across the region with erosion. I think that's probably the one that's most disheartening for farmers," he told the ABC.
8.42am: A flood warning remains for the upper Brisbane River above Wivenhoe Dam as rain eases to showers in the southeast.
A statement by the Bureau of Meteorology said rain has eased to showers over the Brisbane catchment, with totals of up to 10mm recovered since 9am Sunday.
"River levels and minor flooding continue to ease in rivers and creeks upstream of Wivenhoe Dam," the statement said.
"Minor flood levels in the Brisbane River between Linville and Devon Hills continue to ease."
Earlier, a Bundaberg woman, 43, was the latest to be saved from rising floodwaters. She was flown to hospital in a stable condition after suffering chest pains yesterday afternoon.
A moderate possibility of a tropical cyclone forming in the Coral Sea around Wednesday is still on the cards, but the southeast should be safe with the bureau predicting any extreme conditions which do form will head out to sea.
Wet weather washed out many Clean Up Australia Day events but organisers were still pleased with the efforts.
Ian Kiernan from Clean Up Australia said there was a strong turnout in the less than perfect conditions.
"Queenslanders collected 3130 tonnes of rubbish from 1423 sites, and that was done by 91,743 volunteers," he said.
"People still turned out, the people are magnificent - to see people still out in the miserable weather was inspirational."
The low pressure system which dumped heavy rain over the weekend is weakening and headed for the state's west.
Brisbane has already had half of the city's yearly rainfall for 2013, and has received its expected falls for March in only three days.
Dalby was worst hit by the weekend deluge, with Myall Creek peaking late Saturday night at 3.21m and up to 50 properties were believed to be inundated.
Water levels fell short of the heights seen in January 2011 and slowly began to recede yesterday.
Clean up efforts should start this morning after the inundation forced locals to evacuate their homes.
Many major roads were flooded with traffic stopped when the Warrego highway was cut at Dalby and Warra.
The Moonie highway was closed four kilometres out of town.
Locals in the Somerset Regional Council, Banana Shire Council and Lockyer Valley Regional Council breathed a sigh of relief when flood warnings were cancelled around midday yesterday.
Although miserable day in the southeast, minimal rain was recorded yesterday with tops around 10mm the highest recorded in Rochedale.
Swiftwater rescue teams and the SES came to the aid of 18 people during the weekend's weather events.
Eight were rescued from a dancing studio in Woolloongabba, six from a car in Brookfield and there were rescues in Lawnton and Brightview.
Senior forecaster Jonty Hall said a mixture of sun and showers was predicted throughout the southeast for most of the week. "We can expect more sun than we have been seeing," he said.
"Temperature should be pleasing with overnight lows in the 20s and 26 C or 27C each day which will be pretty comfortable.
"There will be less of the cloud than there has been around over the weekend."
Large chunks of southeast Queensland were without power at the weekend as wild weather brought down trees and power lines.
There were more than 4800 outages during the two days with 4500 of those directly attributed to the extreme weather event.
Areas most affected included Beenleigh, Cannon Hill and Murarrie in the Brisbane area.
Smaller hinterland communities in the Gympie region such as Moy Pocket and Brooloo were also affected.
The majority of the issues were resolved as the weather eased last night.
Releases at Somerset, Wivenhoe, North Pine and Leslie Harrison dams were increased yesterday as heavy falls began.
To minimise impacts on downstream communities SEQ plans to continue releases, at this stage up until Wednesday.
Beaches remain closed on both the Sunshine and Gold coasts as dangerous conditions, debris and dirty water hinder swimmers.
Erosion continues to be an issue with Maroochydore beach closed due to a lack of sand and Gold Coast beaches still hit by swells up to 2.5 metres.
additional reporting Brian Williams
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