Newstead and St Leonards were among the North’s worst affected areas, with Hobblers Bridge all but consumed by a wave of flood water.

Nearby, residents of Hart Street, Newstead, acted fast with memories of the 1993 floods still in their minds.

Police began to doorknock the suburb before 6am and flood water crept into Hart St backyards before 9am.

As the drains overflowed, Keith Miller jumped to the rescue of his neighbour’s rabbits, which he found in their enclosure floating in the yard.

“Can you smell the sewage?” He said.

“I reckon she’ll get right up to the back door again (where the flood water rose to in 1993).”

At Deloraine, Paul Noordanos donned his waders and braved vicious rapids to clear debris from water surrounding his Meander River-side home.

His house – a former Hydro power station – was built in 1902, just above water level.

He says not once since its creation has water entered breached the floorboards – and Monday was no exception.

“As far as I know the water has never been inside,” he said.

“On a scale of 10, this is a 8.5 or 9 out of 10.”

TasRail suspended all train operations on Monday as a precautionary measure.

Chief executive Damien White said there would be disruption to customers, but safety was paramount.

“TasRail has deployed all available staff to inspect and assess the track and critical infrastructure including rail bridges and facilities,” he said. 

“While heavy rain is continuing to fall across the state, the rail network appears to be withstanding the flood conditions reasonably well, but there are a number of areas, particularly on the North West Coast where water levels are a concern”.

With extreme weather expected to continue, RSPCA Tasmania chief executive Peter West has urged the public to ensure their animals are safe.

"We are aware of a few locations that, due to flooding and owners not being able to get to them in time, livestock are in difficulty," Mr West said. 

RSPCA centres and the animal cruelty hotline have received calls from concerned community members asking for assistance as animals were in flood affected areas. 

"If animals have already entered swollen rivers...then it is most likely nothing can be undertaken safety to help them," Mr West said. 

"SES and Tasmania Police are the best first responders in these instances.”