WILD weather is lashing Australia’s southeast, causing thousands to lose power as authorities warn lives could be lost.
South Australia has already been drenched in intense rainfall while Victoria is bracing for a “10 out of 10” storm. Overnight, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has upped the likely amount of rain that will fall in the city over then next five days from 150mm to 200mm.
Forecasters are warning midday could be the time when Melbourne gets drenched.
Parts of NSW, which is on flood alert, could get “more than a month’s rain in 36 hours” and flood warnings are also in place for Tasmania as a low pressure trough sweeps through the country’s south.
Through the weekend and into early next week, Hobart could get up to 80mm of rain, Canberra 100mm and Brisbane 120mm.
The wild weather has already arrived in South Australia, leaving thousands of homes in a blackout. Some 2400 homes were without power in Port Augusta alone this morning, with rainfall records expected to fall, the Advertiser reported.
South Australia’s capital is currently having a break from the rain but more is due.
Victorians have been warned to prepare for a challenging few days with the Bureau of Meteorology calling the impending weather event extremely dangerous. 500 State Emergency Services (SES) staff are on standby whuile major outdoor events have been cancelled.
On Thursday, BoM senior meteorologist Scott Williams warned much of the rain could come in one dumping, raising flooding fears.
“It is an event that poses a threat to life, there will be a massive amount of lightning, there will be roads cut, flood waters,” he said.
“Those thunderstorms will gradually all weld into a massive, great rain band, and that band will spread down across the state on Friday night and Saturday morning.
“This is a vast, intense, high-impact event for this state. I think this event will turn farms into lakes.”
The BoM yesterday issued a severe rain warning for the entire state with predicted flooding in all of the state’s rivers, including the Yarra in Melbourne.
The warning was supported in parliament by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who urged the public to stay safe and heed advice from authorities in the coming days.
The Premier also tweeted that Victorians should expect more rainfall in the next few days than in the entire rest of the summer.
1) More rain may fall over the next few days than it usually does in one whole season.
— Daniel Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) November 30, 2017
2) Just because it's not bushfire, don't presume it's fine. Flash flooding is extremely destructive and deadly.
— Daniel Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) November 30, 2017
Mr Williams said on a scale of one to 10, Victorians should expect a weather event of 10 out of 10.
“This is an event of absolute massive scale, half the inhabitants of Melbourne have never ever seen anything like this,” he said.
“It is an event that poses a threat to life. There will be a massive amount of lightning, there will be roads cut and flood waters. This event will turn farms into lakes with such rapid rain rates.”
SES Victoria’s state duty officer Gerry Sheridan urged residents to take precautions and stay safe.
“It’s been a long time since we have seen a weather event like this, some residents simply won’t be prepared and they need to be,’’ he said.
A rain event of this forecasted magnitude hasn’t been seen in metropolitan Melbourne since 2005 and in regional Victoria since 2010, SES deputy chief Tim Wiebusch said.
Melbourne could receive more than 150mm of rain over a 72-hour period, and up to 300mm in the state’s northeast and alpine districts.
WHEN WILL THE RAIN HIT YOU?
21C on Friday with up to 10mm of rain. Sporadic showers then continue throughout the weekend.
About 200mm of rain could fall on an absolutely drenched Melbourne over the next few days, starting with a whopping 50mm on Friday alone and then 80mm on Saturday. The mercury will drop, only getting to 14C by Sunday. Persistent falls all weekend.
This has been the hottest November in Hobart since records began. Friday will see the mercury drop by 10C to 23C with up to 20mm of rain. The wettest day is looking like Sunday with up to 40mm falling. Highs of just 14C for Saturday and Sunday.
A high of 29C on Friday with storms a possibility and heavy rain. But it’s Saturday that’s going to be really wet with up to 60mm of rain and the dial getting to 24C. Temperatures will then continue to drop further with further, often heavy, rain into next week.
Sydney will escape the wost of the downpours, not a drop will fall on Friday, and temperatures will remain relatively stable at about 27-29C throughout the weekend. But it will still rain, heavily at times, with Saturday the wettest day. Showers will continue into next week.
Queensland will come late to the rain game but it’s forecast to arrive in a big way. A few showers for Friday and Saturday with real downpours arriving from Sunday onwards. Monday could see 70mm fall. Temperatures of between 27-29C.
34-35C across the Top End with sunshine and storms with Monday the wettest with up to 25mm of rain.
Never one to play the east coast’s game, Perth will be a model of summertime weather this weekend. Clear skies every day, temperatures will rise from a mild 25C on Thursday to 37C on Sunday.
— with AAP
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