A LATE burst of tropical moisture is set to deposit significant volumes of rain over eastern Australia next week, with Queensland likely to see the heaviest falls.
At this stage north-central Queensland is forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to receive up to 200mm while coastal parts of the state's south-east are also set to be wet.
The rain will push out extensively over inland areas, with most of western Queensland likely to see at least 25mm in the unseasonably late series of fronts coming down from the tropics.
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There will be showers over the weekend, but the heaviest rain is expected from Tuesday onwards.
BOM officials are also closely monitoring the rain band to see how far south it will push.
At present falls of over 25mm are only expected in northern and eastern NSW but BOM forecasters are monitoring the situation saying if the conditions develop in the right way heavy rain will be seen all the way into northern Victoria.
The rain will be welcomed by winter croppers in Queensland but has the potential to cause issues with late harvested summer crop still to come off.
The rain, providing valuable for moisture for many broadacre inland farmers, will also not be welcome in coastal areas still recovering from flooding earlier in the year.
On the other side of the continent there is also the prospect of a reasonable rain event over south-western Western Australia around mid-May.
Much of Australia is currently experiencing one of the wettest autumns in many years, which has meant the nation's winter crop is far more advanced in terms of planting for this time year compared to the long-term average.