Rain on its way for Queensland as Cyclone Dylan looks set to develop and hit state's north on Friday THE best hope for drought relief may come on Friday night when a cyclone is ­expected to briefly develop before easing back to a low, which should bring rain to much of the state. The first cyclone of the season, scheduled to be named Dylan, is predicted to cross the coast around Innisfail but its benefits could ­extend far beyond the north. Even if it does not make cyclone status, it is expected to buffet north Queensland as ex-Cyclone Oswald did to the southeast last year. Storm tides are expected between Port Douglas and Proserpine today and ­tomorrow, producing minor foreshore flooding. Weather Bureau tropical cyclone warning centre forecaster Andrew Bufalino said the low was struggling to form into a cyclone because high-level winds were pulling it apart. "That doesn't mean that there won't be strong winds and heavy rainfall, mainly to the south of it,"" he said. "It will affect the region from St Lawrence (central Queensland) to Cairns and the heaviest rainfall will be between Cardwell and Mackay,"" he said. Combined with a monsoon trough dipping low across the continent, it will give some drought-hit farmers their best chance of rain in more than a year. Lorraine Poloni of Woolworths Ingham said people were stocking up on groceries. ``The check-outs have been full all morning,"" she said. ``People start panic buying whenever they hear there's a cyclone around."" Since Cyclone Yasi hit in 2011, residents had been more inclined to prepare early and many had invested in generators. ``We ... had no power for seven days after Yasi,"" she said. Ms Poloni said the most popular items were bread and milk. Wind gusts to 94km/hr were recorded at Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays yesterday and rainfall of 140mm in the 24 hours to 9am between Cairns and Innisfail, with gales from Cairns to central Queensland. The low is moving towards the coast at 10km/hr. A four-day rain outlook from the weekend is for totals ranging from 10mm in the far west to 400mm on the wet coastal strip, a boost to the struggling $45 billion-a-year cattle industry. Grazier Maureen Scott, of drought-hit Moothandella Station near Windorah, in the far southwest, said her property needed more than showers. Mrs Scott said her cattle were too poor to send to market. ``We need a good downpour,"" she said. ``Our house dam is all but dry and we're getting organised to cart water."" "If we can hold on we will,"" she said. We've been hand-feeding since April and a lot of money has gone down their necks since then. I'm sure something will break soon, either the weather or us."" North Queensland residents are reacting early to cyclone warnings, following devastating Cyclone Yasi in 2011. Picture: Tom Lee