Worst flooding in 48 years hits north Qld

A north Queensland town is mopping up after the worst flooding in almost 50 years hit the area, inundating homes, businesses and roads.

Mareeba, inland from Cairns, was the worst hit when a month's worth of rain fell across a large chunk of the state's far north at the weekend.

"The last time we had a monsoonal event as big as this would have been in 1967," Tablelands Regional Council Mayor Rosa Lee Long told AAP.

"It will be significant as far as roads and property damage."

One Malanda family had to be rescued after they became stranded when a river broke its banks, surrounding their home with water.

Some roads have been washed out, while others are strewn with debris and blocked by landslides.

Areas between Cape Tribulation, north of Cairns, and Cardwell were hit over the weekend.

About 723mm of rain was recorded at Mount Sophia, south of Cairns, 505mm at Malanda and 414mm in Cairns between Friday and Sunday.

The February averages for Cairns, Malanda and Mount Sophia are 449mm, 335mm and 666mm respectively.

A driver had to be rescued from a bank on the Barron River after his ute become stuck in rising waters on Sunday evening.

Queensland Fire and Emergency received more than 30 other requests since midday Saturday for general flooding assistance with sandbagging and leaking roofs.

Several flood watch warnings remain in place across the region on Monday.

Although the rain had eased on Monday, the weather bureau is warning those along the tropical north coast to expect another deluge this weekend.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Andrew Mostyn said a tropical low is heading towards the far north and there'll more heavy rain from Thursday.

"And, of course, with the catchments quite wet at the moment major flooding could be an issue," he told AAP.

The heavy rain has been good news for some though.

The Cairns Regional Council has lifted water restrictions after 330mm of rain fell on the Lake Morris dam over the weekend, almost filling the catchment.

It has also brought some relief to farmers who have struggled through a long period of drought.