Residents in Victoria’s north are being warned to stay inside as a “life-threatening” flash flooding and intense rainfall threaten their communities.
A severe weather warning is in effect for large swaths of Victoria’s north, where Mildura has recorded almost half its usual annual rainfall total since Saturday.
Saturday’s deluge saw 66 millimetres fall in the regional city, followed by another 83 millimetres after 9am on Sunday, leading to flash flooding and homes being inundated.
The State Emergency Service fielded more than 110 calls for help in Mildura between midday Sunday and 7am Monday, and a further 160 calls across the rest of the state. Ninety-six of the calls were for flooding, 93 were for downed trees, and another 57 were for building damage.
Up to 80 millimetres of rain fell over other parts of northern and western Victoria between 9am Sunday and 7am Monday.
Tutye, west of the Mallee town of Walpeup, recorded 91 millimetres of rain since Sunday morning, while Kerang recorded 80 millimetres.
Further six-hourly totals of up to 100 millimetres were possible in parts of the state on Monday, when the Bureau of Meteorology warned locally intense rainfall could lead to “dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding”.
Rainfall was just starting to clear the Mallee region about 8am on Monday, meteorologist Dean Narramore told The Age – but the danger was far from over.
“That rainfall is going to continue through central Victoria, then twist to northern Victoria for the coming hours, and then move to north-eastern Victoria this afternoon, before clearing much of the state by tonight,” Narramore said.
Melbourne’s humidity would also clear out from late Monday into Tuesday, the meteorologist said.
A severe weather warning was in effect across parts of the central, north central, north-east and Wimmera districts, along with the Northern Country and Mallee.
People in Mildura, Swan Hill, Bendigo, and Hopetoun and surrounds were warned to prepare to take shelter on Monday morning, ahead of thunderstorms and possible six-hourly rainfall totals between 70 millimetres and 100 millimetres.
Lingering showers and storms were predicted to persist over far-eastern Victoria on Tuesday, before sunshine returned to much of the state on Wednesday and into the long weekend, Narramore said.
A number of advice-level warnings for minor to moderate flooding remained in effect across Victoria’s north on Monday.
The state’s south was spared from heavy rain from Sunday into Monday, recording falls of between five and 10 millimetres, including in metropolitan Melbourne.
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