What’s behind the deadly, record-breaking floods in north Queensland? | Steve Turton for the Conversation

Ingham and nearby towns, about 100 km from Townsville , are some of the worst hit areas, with residents experiencing flooding from the Herbert River .

The Herbert is likely to break the 1967 record of 15.2 metres with more heavy rain forecast for the next 24 hours .

Townsville airport recorded 545mm of rain over the 48 hours to Sunday morning , with many north-west suburbs recording much higher levels.

The Bureau of Meteorology warns the big wet will continue for days .

As river catchments get saturated, more and more water will run off and engorge rivers. Forecasts are for rain to continue for the next few days . We are likely to see more flooding in more places this week . - This article originally appeared in the Conversation . Steve Turton is an adjunct professor of environmental geography at CQUniversity Australia .