A heavy monsoonal burst over northern Australia is likely to produce further flooding in coming days, with the possibility of twin low pressure systems developing into cyclones.
A deepening monsoon trough is expected to lead to heavy falls across the far north, as another slow-moving system continues to dump big falls across the outback.
The Bureau of Meteorology is keeping a close eye on 29U, located east of Townsville, and 31U over the Gulf of Carpentaria - both could develop into tropical lows between Sunday and Tuesday.
Senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said regardless of whether they intensified into cyclones "we're still going to see a big increase in rain and storms across northern Australia next week".
That's not good news for Gulf Country and Wet Tropics residents already smashed by flooding during the wet season, with pastoralists having lost an estimated 100,000 head of cattle.
Mt Isa in the northwest has already had its wettest February on record, with more than 319 millimetres falling in the copper city.
Roads have been cut by flash flooding, with a man needing to be airlifted to safety after his car was washed away in Queensland's Gulf Country.
Mount Isa's LifeFlight chopper, accompanied by emergency services, flew to Nicholson River on Wednesday night and were able to reach a man on a sandbank surrounded by floodwaters.
Motorists shone their car headlights on the river to help locate the uninjured man, who was taken to Doomadgee Hospital for precautionary assessment.
But the further south you go, the more the rain brings relief, thanks to another low stationed over the Simpson Desert - one of the driest parts of the continent.
Birdsville, in Queensland's southwest corner, has had 140 millimetres in the past two days, close to the town's annual average of 162 - and it's still bucketing down.
"That tropical low has pretty much sat in the southeastern Northern Territory for about a week now, but it will be on the move from tomorrow," Mr Narramore said.
Adelaide, which has had less than four millimetres of rain in 2026, is set for a welcome 50-100mm drenching, with almost all of South Australia on flood watch.
The equally parched western districts of Victoria and NSW are expecting similar falls, with the bureau warning flash flooding is possible.
Mr Narramore said riverine flooding was less likely, with southern catchments being so dry.
"Any rainfall initially is probably just going to run off because it's so hard - it's been so hot and dry the soils and ground can act almost like concrete," he said.
Australian Associated Press