Community airport closed after more heavy storms to the north

Weather Watch

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Lockhart River Airport is currently closed after heavy rain in the region.

Lockhart River Airport will be closed until at least tomorrow after a severe downpour on Thursday damaged the airstrip.

With the possibility of further showers in the Cooktown region and further north following a tropical low forming in the Gulf of Carpentaria, town officials are hoping for a reprieve from the rain for about half a day so damage to the runway can be repaired.

Some Lockhart River gauges have recorded more than 500mm in three days, and more than 300mm in 24 hours last week.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said the rain had been “highly localised” to the region.

When localised flooding occurs, the airport can be the only connection to the outside world in the small community.

Some workers who rely on air transport have been stuck in the town and there are concerns if any medical evacuations may be needed with more rain expected to continue in the first half of this week.

The tropical low is predicted by the BOM to make its way from north of Australia towards the west coast of Cape York by the weekend, but that could change depending on how the weather patterns eventuate.

The majority of Queensland is expected to be relatively rain-free for the Easter weekend, with  the Cairns and Ingham region predicted to have a few localised showers, and rain also expected to continue in parts of the Cape York region.

The BOM warns localised flash flooding can occur with moderate-to-heavy falls.

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