Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Issued at 4:45 pm EDT on Sunday 19 December 2021

Flood Watch Number: 1

Areas of flooding are expected in parts of North East Victoria.

A strong cold front is crossing Victoria. The front has brought severe thunderstorms producing areas of heavy rainfall.

Catchments are still relatively wet.

Rainfall in the 12 hours to 4:00 pm Sunday over north east Victoria has seen widespread totals of 40 to 60mm with high rainfall rates being recorded. Further areas of rainfall likely as the front moves rapidly east before moving off the coast in the evening.

The rainfall and wet catchments may lead to localised areas of flooding developing in parts of catchments in North East Victoria.

Flooding may occur in the following catchments:

Upper Murray and Mitta Mitta Rivers
Kiewa River
Ovens and King Rivers

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