400km ‘life-threatening’ event

Parts of Victoria, NSW and Tasmania will be hammered all throughout Thursday, with authorities urging residents to remain on high alert.

The weather event is being caused by a deep low-pressure system south of the Great Australian Bight that has combined with a deep tropical air mass to cause widespread heavy and intense rainfall across the country.

A severe weather warning for heavy rainfall and damaging winds has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for large parts of Victoria.

Flash flooding and landslides are possible throughout all of Thursday, while the risk of heavy rainfall around Melbourne will be brief and most likely happen late in the afternoon and evening.

Six-hourly rainfall totals between 30 and 50mm are likely over western, central and northeastern Victoria as well as isolated heavier falls of 65mm.

Daily rainfall totals during Thursday are expected to reach 50 to 80mm, with isolated totals up to 120mm over higher terrain, which would be more than a month’s worth of rain for some areas.

Nearly 60 flood warnings have been issued by Victoria SES, with major flooding possible at the Goulburn, Campaspe Ovens, King, Maribyrnong and Acheron rivers and at Seven and Hughes creeks.

Damaging wind gusts of 90 to 100km/h are possible over elevated terrain in central and eastern areas of the state, possibly reaching up to 110km/h in exposed alpine peaks.

Gough St, off the corner of Punt Rd in Melbourne, was covered in floodwater on Thursday morning, while nearly 40 roads were closed across Victoria as of 11.30am.

Victoria SES has responded to more than 800 requests for assistance in the 24 hours to 10am on Thursday.

The heavy rain and damaging winds are expected to clear by Friday morning.

In NSW, a severe weather warning for heaving rainfall and possible flash flooding has been issued for southwestern parts of the state.

Six-hourly rainfall totals between 30 to 50mm are likely, with isolated heavier falls up to 65mm.

Damaging wind gusts of around 110km/h are possible over alpine areas above 1500m from Thursday afternoon.

There are more than 76 flood warnings active across NSW as of Thursday morning, including three evacuation orders.

Police have resumed their search for a man in the state’s west believed to be missing in floodwaters.

The 63-year-old was last seen on a rural property on Lachlan Valley Way at Hillston around noon on Tuesday.

He told a friend he would return shortly, but he never did.

Officers will be focusing on the property and Lachlan River during their search on Thursday.

Further down south in Tasmania, a severe weather warning has been issued by the bureau for intense rainfall, damaging winds and dangerous surf in northern parts of the state.

“Locally, intense rainfall which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is also possible over inland parts of northwest Tasmania during this period, particularly about the Western Tiers, with six-hourly intense rainfall totals to 100mm and 24 hour totals in excess of 300mm,” the bureau said in a statement.

“North to northeasterly winds with damaging wind gusts with peak gusts of around 100km/h are possible over the Western Tiers, the northeast highlands, the north coast east of Devonport, and the east and southeastern coasts, becoming more likely this (Thursday) afternoon and evening.”

A major flood warning has been issued for the Mersey River, with various minor to moderate warnings in place as well.

A flood emergency warning has been issued by Tasmania SES for Railton and its surrounding area, with residents told to prepare to evacuate.

A damaging surf warning has also been issued for eastern Tasmania with wave heights of 6m possible.