Jane Bunn weather forecast: Heavy rain and flooding to hit northern Queensland as cyclone looms off northwest coast

Heavy rain and flooding returned to northern Queensland early this week, and it’s still going.

The heaviest falls are on the east coast, but significant rain extends across the north, and less significant rain down into the southeast.

Forecasts show that there is still a lot of rain to come for northern Queensland, extending across the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia — and the pattern may become conducive to a tropical low or cyclone developing off the northwest coast — late in the weekend or early next week.

But it’s not just the far north seeing the rain.

The southeast has the potential for significant rain on Thursday into Friday this week, as that moisture from the north meets up with low pressure moving across the south.

The timing of the “moisture meet up” has a lot of impact on how much rain the south receives — and it waits until moving into NSW, Tasmania, northwestern Victoria and eastern Victoria before having a big impact.

Southern SA and southwestern Victoria miss the widespread heavier falls, and southern WA misses out completely.

There is another connection into the south due next week, but at this stage, this one isn’t looking as fruitful in the far south.

There may be teasing clouds, and rain falling over the interior, but not quite making it towards the coast.

That does depend on what happens with the potential cyclone — so watch this space.