A woman has tragically died after her car was submerged in floodwaters as northern Australia faces its third cyclone in just two months.
Tropical Cyclone Lincoln formed over the southern Gulf of Carpentaria and was expected to hit the southern Gulf coast with winds up to 110 km/h and heavy rainfall on Friday afternoon.
As Lincoln moves inland, it is likely to weaken but will continue to bring heavy rains as it travels west across the Northern Territory and then northern Western Australia over the weekend.
The storm follows significant flooding from ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, which hit the region earlier in the year. On Thursday, a 28-year-old woman was found deceased in her vehicle in the flooded Malbon River near Duchess, south of Mt Isa in Queensland’s northwest.
Woman dies in submerged car as floodwaters rise from Cyclone Lincoln’s heavy rains.In the Northern Territory, the Beswick community has been evacuated, and over 60 residents from Burketown have been relocated.
Areas such as Borroloola, Groote Eylandt, and Mornington Island are also expected to be impacted. Burketown has already received 135 mm of rain in the past 24 hours, with totals potentially reaching 250 mm. The region is still recovering from earlier flooding linked to Cyclone Kirrily.
Queensland’s southeast has also been hit hard, with Brisbane experiencing flash floods due to over 100 mm of rain overnight. The suburb of Rosalie recorded 197 mm in 24 hours, and other areas, including Bowen Hills and Mount Cootha, reported substantial rainfall.
The SES has responded to around 60 calls for assistance across the state, with nearly 50 coming from the southeast. Flood watches remain in effect for Queensland’s northwest and the Northern Territory’s Daly and Katherine Rivers.