Mackay sits in tropical northern Australia, where a monsoonal climate produces a hot, wet season from roughly November through April and a dry season for the rest of the year, with cyclones posing the region’s biggest flood risk.
On Queensland’s central coast, the city’s Pioneer River has a history of serious cyclone-driven flooding. Cyclones crossing this coast can dump extraordinary rainfall totals in a short time, and because they can intensify rapidly right up until landfall, the Bureau of Meteorology’s radar network is essential for tracking a storm’s exact position and rain bands in real time. Learn more: Hurricane Season Radar Guide · Open the full Rain Map