Five states now face flooding following continuing heavy rain along Australia’s east coast.
Emergency flood warnings are in place in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, with rain and thunderstorms forecast across much of the eastern states in the coming days. The wet weather may persist until midweek, as two weather systems converge.
A low-pressure system over South Australia and near the NSW-Queensland border is combining with a high-pressure system near New Zealand to direct humid tropical air across eastern Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Severe thunderstorm warnings are in place from Sunday until Tuesday across much of NSW, southern Queensland and northern Victoria. The BoM said they will bring “heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding, damaging winds and possibly large hail”.
Victoria
Towns across Victoria are bracing for another round of flooding as heavy rains continue to fall. There are nearly 70 current flood warnings across the state.
Victoria’s emergency management commissioner, Andrew Crisp, described the situation on Sunday as “extremely dynamic”, and said one focus for authorities was on the towns of Echuca and Kerang. Crisp encouraged people to look in detail at emergency warnings “in relation to evacuation routes … and where you can go in terms of relief centres.”
Water levels are not expected to rise as high as last week, but evacuation warnings are in place for the town of Echuca where waters are expected to rise to 95m overnight.
In Echuca, on the wrong side of the levee a man known only as “the Alpha boss” is hitting the decks. His house - which he shares with his wife (also a DJ) is surrounded by water. pic.twitter.com/73TU1okMAU
— Cait Kelly (@cait__kelly) October 22, 2022
Levees near the town are holding but there has been “seepage” and authorities are asking members to evacuate now rather than risk becoming isolated or trapped.
Other river systems near Shepparton, Geelong and Swan Hill are expected to surge over the coming days, and flooding is expected around Torrumbarry “all the way” through to Barmah with major flood levels expected around Wednesday.
New South Wales
Two fresh weather systems are converging over New South Wales. As the two systems meet, one moving north from South Australia and the other heading south from Queensland, they are expected to bring up to 200mm of rain in some parts.
Authorities have warned it will be a “very dangerous 48 hours” and have warned residents not to drive through flood waters as rescues are tying up emergency services and putting additional lives at risk.
“What we are currently experiencing is more flood threats in more communities and locations than at any other time this year,” the minister for flood recovery of NSW, Steph Cooke, told reporters on Sunday. “At present, we literally have a flood risk in every corner of the state.”
Evacuation orders have been issued for Moree as a major flood peak looms on the Mehi river, a tributary of the Gwydir river. There are 120 flood warnings around NSW covering nearly the whole state, 20 of them currently at the emergency level.
Renewed thunderstorms have lashed areas surrounding Moree, Gunnedah and the neighbouring village of Carroll on the northern Namoi River, the Riverina town of Narrandera on the Murrumbidgee and Moama on the Murray River.
The BoM expects heavy rain and gusty winds will move south overnight on Sunday, with a flood watch current for the Northern Rivers and parts of the Mid North Coast, Hunter and Greater Sydney catchments.
The situation along the Queensland border is considered an “evolving risk” with authorities watching how much rainfalls in the area over the next two days.
Natural disaster declarations have been made in 43 local government areas across the state.
— Casey Budd (@ONUS_Agronomy) October 22, 2022
Queensland
The Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay received heavy rainfall overnight into Sunday, with more than 100mm recorded in Bellthorpe.
A severe weather warning for heavy rainfall is in place for south-east Queensland, including Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Monday will probably bring more rain to the far southeast, with the risk of severe thunderstorms throughout central Queensland and the south-east corner of the state.
Laura Boekel from the Bureau of Meteorology said on Sunday that forecasters expected the low pressure system would “stay quite close to the coast” and move south into northern New South Wales. “We are not out of the woods yet but we are seeing a clearing trend in the coming 24 hours,” she said.
Far north Queensland, however, is “likely to experience heatwave conditions up to midweek with a forecast for unusually high temperatures and high humidity”, according to the BoM.
Tasmania
Concerns have eased in Tasmania despite 45mm of rain but flood alerts remain in place for residents near the Macquarie, Meander, North and South Esk rivers.
South Australia
The BoM has issued a flood warning for the Light and Wakefield rivers, after significant rainfall over the weekend.
– with Australian Associated Press
