Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Initial Flood Watch for Gippsland, parts of North East Victoria and the Werribee River catchment

Issued at 11:30 am EDT on Wednesday 8 December 2021 Flood Watch Number: 1

Flooding is expected across Gippsland, parts of North East Victoria and the Werribee River catchment from Thursday afternoon with highest risk in East Gippsland.

A low pressure system will form off the southern NSW coast and is expected to bring rain to the flood watch area on Thursday and Friday.

Catchments in the flood watch area are relatively wet.

From Thursday to Saturday, three day rainfall totals of 120-200 mm are forecast for far east Gippsland, 80-120 mm for the Snowy and Tambo River catchments and
30-60 mm across the remainder of the flood watch area.

Moderate to major flooding is likely across East Gippsland catchments. Minor flooding is likely across the rest of the flood watch area, with isolated moderate flooding possible.

Catchments likely to be affected include:

Bemm, Cann and Genoa Rivers

Snowy River

Tambo River

Mitchell River

Avon River

Macalister River

Thomson River

Latrobe River

Traralgon Creek

South Gippsland Rivers

Werribee River

Upper Murray and Mitta Mitta Rivers

Kiewa River

The Bureau of Meteorology is continuing to monitor the situation and will issue catchment specific warnings as required.

See www.bom.gov.au/vic/warnings to view the current warnings for Victoria.

For more information on the Flood Watch Service:
http://www.bom.gov.au/water/floods/floodWarningServices.shtml

Flood Safety Advice:
Note: This Flood Watch means that people living or working along rivers and streams must monitor the latest weather forecasts and warnings and be ready to move to higher ground should flooding develop.

SES advises that all community members should:
Never walk, ride or drive through floodwater, Never allow children to play in floodwater, Stay away from waterways and stormwater drains during and after heavy rain, Keep well clear of fallen power lines Be aware that in fire affected areas, rainfall run-off into waterways may contain debris such as ash, soil, trees and rocks, and heavy rainfall increases the potential for landslides and debris across roads.

Current Emergency Information is available at http://emergency.vic.gov.au For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.

Current Road and Traffic Information is available at the VicRoads website:
http://traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au/

Weather Forecast:
For the latest weather forecast see http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/forecasts/

River Height and Rainfall information are available on the Bureau of Meteorology web site at http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/flood/

Flood Warnings and Flood Watches for Victorian Catchments are also available
on: Telephone Weather Service No. 1300 659217.


Rainfall and River Conditions Map