Flood preparations: king tides plus rain on way
DOUGLAS WET
More king tides in Douglas are on the way, with a five-day period of tides all peaking above the three-metre mark starting this Friday.
To add to the tide warnings, weather forecasters are predicting possible heavy rain on Thursday and Friday due to the monsoon trough and tropical low moving south from the Gulf of Carpentaria over the next few days.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Danny Johnson told Newsport the low will bring rain to the region as early as Wednesday.
“The low will drag the monsoon trough southwards and in the Port Douglas area we’ll see rain on Wednesday potentially up to 35 millimetres,” he said.
“Thursday will probably be the wettest day however, with potentially around 60mm, and then Friday we’ll potentially see up to 45mm.”
The Douglas Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) is encouraging residents in low-lying areas to take precautions ahead of the king tides, particularly if the heavy rainfall does ensue as forecast.
Residents in areas that are prone to minor flooding during the tides are encouraged to move valuables and their cars to protect them from the saltwater.
Douglas king tides
Fri 17 Feb 7.20am 3.03m
Sat 18 Feb 8.04am 3.25m
Sun 19 Feb 8.43am 3.39m
Mon 20 Feb 9.22am 3.41m
Tue 21 Feb 9.59am 3.31m
Also, the LDMG said Daintree Ferry services can be delayed during periods of extreme high tides and heavy rainfall, and have asked motorists to check the Daintree Ferry website for any service updates this weekend.