Tropical Cyclone Lincoln formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria after a woman was found dead in floods in northwest Queensland.
A third cyclone in as many months has formed off the Australian coast as rain-hit regions brace for wilder weather.
Wind gusts of up to 110 km/h and heavy rain are expected to affect coastal areas of the Gulf of Carpentaria after Tropical Cyclone Lincoln formed on Friday.
Tropical Cyclone Lincoln formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria and is expected to make landfall on Friday night.
Tropical Cyclone Lincoln formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria after a woman was found dead in floods in northwest Queensland.
It is scheduled to make landfall as a category one system between the Northern Territory-Queensland border and the NT’s Port McArthur on Friday night.
“As it moves inland tonight, the system is expected to weaken and begin moving westwards across the central Northern Territory over the weekend,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Some regions in Lincoln’s sights are still recovering from the latest cyclone.
A woman, believed to be an Indian national, was found dead in a submerged car in northwest Queensland flooding caused by former Cyclone Kirrily.
The vehicle was seen in the flooded Malbon River at Duchess, near Mount Isa, on Thursday afternoon.
It is believed the 28-year-old woman had attempted to drive on a flooded road.
“A heartbreaking tragedy in Australia: An Indian citizen lost her life in a flood near Mount Isa, Queensland,” the Indian High Commission in Australia posted on social media on Friday.
“The deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.”
Some areas of the northwest are still isolated due to widespread flooding caused by former Cyclone Kirrily that lingered for days after crossing the Queensland coast weeks ago.
Tropical Cyclone Jasper also caused record flooding in Far North Queensland after making landfall north of Cairns in mid-December.
Some communities did not run any risk when the third cyclone of the season arrived.
In the NT, people from the Beswick community were relocated south of Katherine.
Burketown was flooded in March 2023 and is facing another deluge, with 135mm of rain recorded in 24 hours. (HANDOUT/QLD Police)
More than 60 residents were also evacuated from Burketown in northwest Queensland, where 135mm of rain was recorded in the last 24 hours.
Burke Shire Mayor Ernie Camp said while Gulf communities were used to some isolation during the rainy season, back-to-back severe weather events had been taking their toll.
“Everyone is feeling a bit nervous,” he told AAP.
“It’s certainly straining our resources, also mentally considering these events are so close together.”
Camp said supplies have been dropped on the Aboriginal community of Doomadgee, which has been isolated by flooding for more than a month.
A cyclone warning area was declared on Friday, stretching from Bing Bong in the Northern Territory to Queensland’s Mornington Island.
As Lincoln approached, the bureau warned people in Borroloola, NT and surrounding areas to stay indoors and stay calm as “dangerous” winds were expected.
“Do not go out if you discover that you are in the eye of the cyclone,” he said.
The office also urged people living between the Queensland/NT border and Burketown to take precautions and monitor alerts.
In addition to heavy rain and gales, the cyclone will also cause higher than normal tides in the southern Gulf region, causing minor flooding in low-lying areas.
The system is forecast to weaken as it moves inland over the central Northern Territory over the weekend and then into northern Western Australia, bringing heavy rain.
But the bureau warned the system was at a “moderate” risk of becoming a cyclone again if it reached waters west of the Kimberley in WA late next week.
Meanwhile, heavy rain hit southeast Queensland on Friday, causing flash flooding and road closures.
On what was described as Brisbane’s wettest day since the 2022 floods, Rosalie recorded 197mm, Bowen Hills recorded 135mm while 148mm drenched Mt Cootha.