Cyclone Oswald bears down on north

FAR North Queensland is braced for widespread flooding with Tropical Cyclone Oswald expected to dump torrential rain in coming days.

Oswald, a category 1 cyclone, has formed in the southeastern Gulf of Carpentaria at 4.50pm with forecasters predicting days of torrential rain as far south as Mackay.

Packing wind gusts up to 90km/h, Cyclone Oswald is expected to continue moving northeast and remain a category 1 cyclone before crossing the coast between Aurukun and Kowanyama tonight.

Heavy rainfall that may lead to flooding is likely in areas between Karumba and Torres Strait, including Mornington Island, today and will persist into Tuesday, the weather bureau says.

As the cyclone crosses the coast, a storm tide is expected in coastal areas between about Kowanyama and Weipa. Large waves may produce minor flooding along the foreshore.

Earlier, The Courier-Mail reported that the latest forecast shows a tropical low developing into a category-one cyclone about 4pm today before hitting the coast near Kowanyama about 10pm.

It is expected to cross Cape York as a low before veering south towards Cooktown bringing intensifying heavy rainfall across a large swathe of the north including Cairns.

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Viv Sinnamon, in Kowanyama, said most of the roads had been cut with rivers and creeks rising under more than 33m of rain since 9am.

He said Aboriginal rangers were out in the 1200-strong community doing the final cyclone preparations with diesel and food stockpiled.

"We live for this stuff," said Mr Sinnamon. "It's part of nature's cycle."

He said tourist camps and barramundi lodges had been closed since the end of last year with a few locals part of a pre-cyclone exodus to Cairns over the weekend.

The low is situated 115km north of Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria and has brought heavy rains to the state's gulf country and the far north.

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A cyclone warning is in place for coastal communities from Karumba to the tip of Cape York, including Mornington Island.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Brett Harrison said the system was expected to become a cyclone.

Forecasts have it making landfall somewhere between about Weipa and Kowanyama.

"It is expected to move over the land throughout the day," Mr Harrison told ABC radio.

"It's a pretty strong monsoon that is affecting all of the Gulf of Carpentaria with heavy rainfall, pretty damaging winds and also abnormally high tides."

"There's some pretty dangerous weather about, particularly parts of the west coast of the peninsula and the gulf country."

In southeast Queensland, morning clouds and scattered showers should clear by early afternoon.

A top temperature of 31C is predicted for Brisbane, 30C on the Sunshine Coast and 29C on the Gold Coast.

Mr Narramore said similar patterns are expected with showers and cloudy mornings forecast for the coming days.

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