Cairns is set to cop up to 150mm of rain in the next week. So far Cairns has received 18mm of rainfall in May, which is below the monthly average of 89mm. This continued the drier than average trend of the start of the dry season, as April also saw below average rain. However the recent rainfall in the North Tropical Coast and Lower Burdekin district is a taste of what is yet to come. The highest 24 hour total to 9am on Saturday was recorded in Bingil Bay, right on the coast, where 62mm fell on top of the previous day's 89mm. This brings the 2 day total to 151mm, the highest accumulated value in three years for May. Other notable daily totals to 9am today were recorded at nearby Tully with 60mm, South Johnstone 56 and Innisfail 54mm. Moist onshore winds are the cause of this rainfall. A large and almost stationary high pressure system over southern Australia is directing southerly winds across the Tasman Sea, which are tending south-easterly over the Coral Sea. These winds have ample time to pick up moisture from the relatively warm sea surface. After travelling for more than 2000km over the warm waters of the South Pacific Ocean, the rain is released once these moist winds hit the mountain ranges of eastern Queensland. The rainfall is set to become even more intense when a cold airmass meets up with the moist warm winds. These conditions are expected towards the end of the week, likely causing intense rainfall. For Cairns, this means that Sunday and Monday should have relatively light falls of 10mm each day. On Tuesday, 30-50mm can be expected and Wednesday should receive the heaviest falls, with 70-100mm. This would amount to well over the entire monthly average rain falling in the space of just two days. Make sure to check www.weatherzone.com.au for the latest updates.