A SEVERE weather warning for heavy rainfall was issued for the Central Coast and Whitsundays on Thursday afternoon.

Our region is among four forecast districts that featured in the warning released by the Bureau of Meteorology at 2.41pm.

The BoM is predicting bands of heavy rain are likely to redevelop and flash flooding remains a high risk due to the monsoon trough, which is expected to remain slow-moving across North Queensland for several days.

Bands of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are likely within the warning area through the remainder of Thursday and Friday.

Bowen and Proserpine feature on the list of towns which may be affected.

That list also includes Innisfail, Tully, Cardwell, Lucinda, Ingham, Palm Island, Rollingstone, Townsville, Giru and Ayr.

Monsoon flow is forecast to increase across Cape York Peninsula on Friday and the weekend, which is likely to maintain or strengthen the monsoon trough.

Rainfall rates have eased over the warning area in the past three hours, but there remains a high risk of redevelopment of heavy rainfall bands, with the potential to produce flash flooding, between about Townsville and Proserpine through the remainder of Thursday.

BoM predicts that six-hourly rainfall totals between 150mm to 200mm are likely with this activity, with isolated heavier falls possible, particularly with bands of thunderstorms.

Creek and river catchments are already saturated and will therefore respond very rapidly to any rainfall.

Longer term, the re-strengthening of the monsoon trough over the weekend may lead to multiple areas of heavy to intense rainfall over already saturated ground between about Innisfail and Bowen, with the potential for particularly significant and dangerous flash flooding.

Bowen has had 52.2mm of rain from 9am to 3.30pm.