Major Flood Warning Issued for Cape River; Minor Flooding Expected for Suttor and Burdekin Rivers

Alert Details

The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a Major Flood Warning for the Cape River and a Minor Flood Warning for the Suttor and Burdekin Rivers. This update (Flood Warning Number 8) was issued at 10:46 am AEST on Saturday, February 21, 2026, following moderate to heavy rainfall over the past several days.

Affected Areas

The warning covers several key locations across the Queensland river systems, including:

• Cape River: Taemas
• Suttor River: St Anns
• Burdekin River: Burdekin Falls Dam, Dalbeg, Clare, and Inkerman Bridge (Burdekin Bridge)
• Belyando River: Regions leading to Burdekin Falls Dam

What You Should Do

Residents in the affected areas are advised to take the following safety precautions:

• Do not drive, walk, swim, or play in floodwater as it is dangerous.
• Stay away from flooded drains, rivers, streams, and waterways.
• Obey all road closure signs.
• Plan travel ahead of time to avoid driving on flooded roads.

Expected Conditions

Major flooding is currently occurring at Taemas, while minor flooding is expected or possible at several other gauges as flows move downstream:

• Cape River at Taemas: Currently at 8.26 m and rising, exceeding the major flood level of 8.00 m.
• Suttor River at St Anns: Currently at 3.99 m and steady; expected to exceed the minor flood level of 4.00 m.
• Burdekin Dam: Currently at 2.37 m; may exceed the minor flood level of 3.00 m.
• Burdekin River at Dalbeg: Currently at 9.03 m and rising; may exceed the minor flood level of 10.00 m.
• Burdekin River at Clare: Currently at 7.95 m and rising; may exceed the minor flood level of 9.00 m.
• Burdekin River at Inkerman Bridge: Currently at 5.90 m and steady; may exceed the minor flood level of 7.00 m.

Further showers and thunderstorms are forecast across the catchment over the next few days, which may lead to additional river level rises.

Timeline

• Taemas: Expected to remain above the major flood level for the remainder of Saturday and into Sunday.
• St Anns: Expected to exceed minor flood levels Saturday morning and remain elevated for several days.
• Burdekin Falls Dam: Minor flooding possible from Saturday evening.
• Dalbeg: Minor flooding possible overnight Saturday into Sunday.
• Clare and Inkerman Bridge: Minor flooding possible starting Sunday morning.