Supermarket shelves are so far the hardest thing hit in the Douglas Shire as a Tropical cyclone threat looms off the coast, as Townsville and other regions south have been devastated by flooding from the system.

A woman, believed to have been a community member assisting with rescues from rising floodwaters died on Sunday in the Townsville region, when the dinghy she was in overturned.

More than 4000 residents have been door knocked across six Townsville suburbs as the city is warned of the flood threat which has been predicted to be as significant as any flood ever recorded in Townsville.

 "This will be a pretty big major flood event for some areas," he said.

"We are really concerned for anyone living on and near rivers, creeks and streams, particularly the Ross River, as it goes right through [Townsville].''

Parts of the state's north, between Cairns and Mackay, have already recorded up to a metre of rain over the past week, with further daily totals of more than 200mm still expected to come on each of the next two days, he said on Sunday. Those heavy falls across last week had cut off the Bruce Highway in a number of places heading into the weekend with expectations of interruption to food transportation for the Douglas Shire as a result.