Rain brings hope and heartbreak for Queensland's north-west

For some it has been heartbreak, and for others this rain event is inspiring hope, but for most towns this rain event is far from over.

The past five days have seen 150mm-300mm of rain about the Herbert and Lower Burdekin region, with Ingham picking up 320mm and Townsville 252mm.

Heavy rain is not too unusual for coastal Queensland this time of year.

In March 2016, Townsville picked up 588m of rain, and in March 2011 the monthly total was only slightly shy of 700mm.

However, heavy rain over western Queensland is more significant. In the 24 hours to 9am Saturday, parts of the north-west have seen falls exceed 100mm, with Lake Julius, Phosphate Hill and Cloncurry all in the triple digits. For Cloncurry, the 101mm in the rain gauge makes it the wettest March day in seven years as well as the wettest day of any month during that time.

This weekend, heavy rain will continue for northwestern Queensland, with the heaviest falls expected near the embedded low pressure system, with 24-hour totals around 75-150mm today and on Sunday.

Wind gusts could also exceed 90km/h around this slow-moving low, with the potential for even stronger winds in thunderstorms.

Neighbouring districts will also feel the effects of this trough, with widespread falls of 20-40mm as well as the potential for storms.

This system will slowly break down early next week, while still bringing pockets of heavy rain throughout the state. From mid next week, heavy rain looks to return to the tropics once again.