The Bureau of Meteorology says rainfall has eased for the moment but warned that significant water remains on the ground and is still entering river systems, so additional rises are likely. Forecasts suggest a reprieve from the heaviest falls in the short term, although isolated showers may persist in northern coastal areas as the weather system shifts.

Across the region, grazing properties and cattle are under pressure. At Riverdale Station near Richmond, floodwaters backed up from swollen rivers have stranded livestock, with producers and emergency services using helicopters to move cattle to higher ground. Local leaders warn that some producers may face serious stock losses as waters remain high and flows slow to recede.

The extreme wet follows days of consistent rainfall that have left many outback communities effectively isolated by floodwater, with highways, key roads and infrastructure cut off. Tourists and residents alike have been cut off, and emergency fodder support and disaster funding have been mobilized by Queensland and federal authorities to assist primary producers in affected shires.