A woman shelters from the rain under an umbrella while crossing a street in Sydney on October 6, 2022. Photo: MUHAMMAD FAROOQ
Evacuation warnings are in place this evening for residents in parts of Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania as floodwaters rise.
Victoria
Residents of multiple Victorian communities in the state's north and central are being warned to prepare for major flooding as wild weather begins crossing Melbourne.
Emergency services were advising people in Rochester, between Bendigo and Echuca, to evacuate with major flooding expected from 3am on Friday.
The Campaspe River continued to rise rapidly and was expected to peak on Friday afternoon.
Victoria SES said the flood event is likely to be between seven and 10 days.
An evacuate now warning had been issued for Wedderburn on account of a dam failure, with the Skinners Flat reservoir likely to breach.
It was predicted this would result in one metre of strong fast moving waters from the reservoir through the Wedderburn township via the Calder Highway and out towards Wedderburn Junction Road.
Residents in the Seymour township are being urged to evacuate immediately.
The warning applies to the Goulburn River to Redbank Road, along the Goulburn Valley Highway to Whiteheads Creek up to the railway line and along the bridge crossing the river to the south and in low-lying areas around the Goulburn Valley Highway and Redbank Road area.
Residents in Carisbrook near Bendigo have been urged to evacuate, as major flooding occurred at the Loddon river
Authorities have issued emergency warnings for communities along the Goulburn and Campaspe Rivers as well as the Seven and Castle Creek catchments, predicting major flooding may occur in communities such as Seymour, Barnadown, Lake Eildon and Euroa within hours.
Community relief centres have been set up in Echuca, Seymour, Maryborough and Wedderburn.
It came as thousands of homes across Victoria were without power and some regional townships were starting to be cut off due to floodwaters.
Heavy rain have also begun to hit Melbourne, with some parts of the city warned flash flooding could occur over the coming hours.
New South Wales
Hundreds of people in Forbes, in Central West New South Wales were being ordered to evacuate ahead of forecasted major flooding.
The State Emergency Service issued an evacuation order for the central business district and the town's south, east, west, north-east and north-west to leave by 8pm.
The order is in place for around 250 homes and 78 streets across much of the town.
The Lachlan River was expected to reach a major flood peak of 10.6 metres later today or tomorrow.
An evacuation centre has been set up at the Saint Andrew's Presbyterian Church on Harold Street.
Tasmania
A Flood Emergency Warning - Evacuate Now has been issued for Liena to Latrobe and for Meander to Hadspen and surrounds by Tasmania SES.
An evacuate now warning has also been issued for parts of Newstead, in the Hart Street area, with widespread flooding expected after the Bureau of Meteorology issued a major flood warning for the North Esk River.
People were urged to evacuate, or move to higher ground if it was not safe to leave, from the area of Lake Isandula Dam on Isandula Road, Preston Road and Gawler Road in the direction downstream towards Ulverstone as Lake Isandula Dam is at risk of failure.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a major flood warning for the Mersey River and the Meander River.
Locations likely to be impacted were: Kimberly, Elizabeth Town, Merseylea, Sunnyside, Railton, Sassafras, Latrobe, Tarleton, Meander, Montana, Red Hills, Deloraine, Reedy Marsh, Exton, Westbury, Selbourne, Quamby Bend, Hagley, Westwood, Carrick and surrounds.
- ABC