Townsville has been lashed with heavy rain overnight. More than 150 millimetres have fallen since tuesday, prompting the SES to spend the night sandbagging residences.
The town of Giru, south of Townsville is expecting the Haughton River to break its banks past the town record level of 3.09 metres.
The Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Rick Threlfall said Townsville weather will continue its instability through to Friday, as the low pressure system moves inland.