The Bureau of Meteorology issued severe weather warnings for damaging winds across large parts of Victoria and South Australia on Sunday morning, with a strong cold front crossing the south-east and a flood watch already active across central, north-eastern and eastern Victoria.
The Victorian warning was issued at 10:45am and covers parts of the Central, East Gippsland, North Central, North East, and West and South Gippsland districts, including Falls Creek, Dargo, Mt Baw Baw, Mt Hotham, Mt Buller and Omeo. The Bureau forecast peak gusts near 90km/h about the Macedon and central ranges, and near 100km/h about the north-east ranges and alpine areas.
Two of those numbers have already been recorded. Mt Buller registered a 100km/h gust and Mt Hotham 96km/h before the warning was issued.
In South Australia the Bureau issued its warning at 10:22am for the Lower Eyre Peninsula and Eastern Eyre Peninsula, and parts of the West Coast, Yorke Peninsula, Flinders, Mid North, North West Pastoral and North East Pastoral districts. Port Lincoln, Ceduna, Wudinna, Cleve, Hawker, Elliston, Jamestown, Kadina, Burra, Arkaroola, Peterborough and Streaky Bay are named in it.
Winds across western and southern Eyre Peninsula are forecast to average 55 to 65km/h with peaks near 90km/h. The Flinders Ranges are the windiest part of the warning area, averaging 60 to 70km/h with peaks near 100km/h.
The flood watch, issued at 3:58pm on Saturday, covers the Snowy, Mitchell, Macalister, Bunyip, Yarra upstream of Warrandyte, Upper Murray, Mitta Mitta, Kiewa, Ovens and King, Broken and Goulburn river systems, along with Dandenong Creek and Seven and Castle creeks. The Bureau's advice is blunt: flooding is possible across the flood watch area from late Sunday into early next week.
Minor to moderate flooding is the level the Bureau has set. The Snowy River near Basin Creek and the Bunyip River are listed as possible from Monday evening. A flood watch is not a flood warning. It tells catchments and councils that the rainfall forecast is heavy enough to put rivers on notice, and warnings follow only if the rain arrives where the model says it will.
Sheep graziers warnings are current in both states. In Victoria they cover the Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, North Central, North East, South West and Central districts. In South Australia they extend from the Mount Lofty Ranges and both Eyre Peninsula districts through to the pastoral country in the state's north.
The State Emergency Service advice attached to the Victorian warning is to move vehicles under cover and away from trees, secure loose items outside, keep clear of fallen powerlines and damaged trees, and stay indoors and away from windows.
The Bureau expects winds in South Australia to ease below warning thresholds late on Sunday evening across the Eyre and Yorke peninsulas, and around sunrise on Monday in the Flinders Ranges. Victorian warnings are being reissued through the day, and the flood watch runs into the middle of the week.
