UPDATE 1:10PM

CHANGED ROAD CONDITIONS:

Kennedy Highway/Kuranda Range: Road is currently clear

Holloways Beach and Machans Beach access Roads: no further reports of water across the road

Pine Creek Road Yarrabah: Minimal water across the road, conditions may change later this evening with tidal changes.

Peet’s Bridge Gordonvale: Water levels continuing to rise.

EARLIER UPDATE: 9.55AM

CHANGED ROAD CONDITIONS

Kennedy Highway Kuranda Range: Traffic has been reduced to one lane due to a tree falling on the road near Rainforest Station at around 8am. Traffic control measures are in place, motorists should expect lengthy delays.

Holloways Beach and Machans Beach access roads: water over the roads, currently affected by high tide.

Pine Creek Road Yarrabah: Water over the road currently affecting access to Yarrabah

Peet’s Bridge Gordonvale: Water rising

Motorists are being urged to take caution on the roads as massive downpours across the region finally bring much-needed wet season rain.

A large tree has fallen across the highway on the Kuranda Range near Rainforestation, with police this morning issuing a warning to motorists to slow down on the roads.

More than 120 mm of rain was recorded at Cairns Airport between 3am and 9am, with heavy rain forecast for later today before easing for the remainder of the week. 

"Please be advised we’ve had significant rain overnight and with that there is a lot of surface water on roads including Pine Creek Yarrabah Road, Gordonvale to Yarrabah, Toogood Road, Woree and Bruce Highway near Edmonton," a police spokesperson said early this morning.

"Also the Kuranda Range has seen a large tree fall across the highway on the Kuranda side of Rainforestation with one lane is operating under traffic control. Motorists are urged to slow down and drive to the conditions of the roads and be patient. With the inundation of heavy rain over the past days, culverts and drains are full."