Woman feared missing in Townsville floodwaters amid widespread downpours

Localised flooding hit Townsville this afternoon, with residents warned to prepare to leave their homes.

A search operation is underway after a triple zero caller reported an older woman had been swept away in floodwaters.

Rescue crews are currently searching the area around the Castletown shopping centre to try and validate these reports.

But residents across the state are being warned to brace for treacherous conditions amid widespread downpours.

"This is shaping up to be a significant rain and flooding event," Queensland's State Disaster Coordinator Shane Chelepy said.

Cardwell resident Chelsea Venz, who moved to the Cassowary Coast Region from the Gold Coast last year, says the two parts of Queensland feel poles apart.

"I feel like I'm in a whole other country, like, it's just crazy that you can be cut off by water like that," Venz told 9News.

Last night the Bruce Highway was cut north of Bowen.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned another metre of rain is possible across the end of the week.

"There is a good chance that we'll see heavy, even possibly local intense rainfall developing from as early as Friday evening, possibly as late as Saturday in some areas and even potentially continuing through the weekend," bureau meteorologist Steven Hadley said.

"It does look as though we're likely to see the the the more widespread and most severe impacts, from about Cairns through to Townsville and Bowen."

Rain on Friday sent the Johnstone River roaring near Innisfail.

And in the Whitsundays, more than 180 millimetres fell leading to the temporary closure of Proserpine Airport.

More than 1000mm is forecast across the region this weekend.

"We're expecting renewed heavy to intense rainfall over the coming days from through today and at least until Monday," the Bureau of Meteorology's Matt Collopy said.

"I urge the community to stay in contact with our emergency warnings, our alerts, and understand your risk," Chelepy added.

Six-hour rainfall totals of 100-180mm are likely, with isolated six-hour totals up to 220mm.

There are two tropical lows being monitored by the bureau – one off the east coast, and one in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

There's a low chance both could develop into cyclones this weekend.