Deadly floodwaters triggered by record rainfall in Australia’s northeast rose for a third day Monday as authorities warned flood-stricken communities to brace themselves for further destruction.

A second woman is confirmed to have died in flooding which has inflicted "incredible" devastation on communities in northern Australia. Police said the 82-year-old woman's body was found in a cane paddock in Queensland on Tuesday, two days after a 63-year-old woman died when a dinghy she was in overturned during a rescue attempt.

Some areas have seen up to 600mm of rain in just 24 hours, with forecasts predicting more heavy downpours in coming days