Damaging winds will develop across much of Tasmania from early Thursday morning, with peak gusts of around 120 km/h expected in the state's west and on King Island.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued the severe weather warning at 4:46 pm on Wednesday. It covers King Island, the Furneaux Islands, and the Western, Upper Derwent Valley, South East, North East and Central Plateau forecast districts, along with parts of the East Coast, North West Coast, Central North and Midlands districts.
Westerly winds of 55 to 65 km/h are forecast for western areas and King Island, with those peak gusts near 120 km/h. In the north-east and over the Furneaux Islands the Bureau expects damaging gusts of around 100 km/h through Thursday morning. Conditions are forecast to continue into early Friday before easing.
Locations in the warning area include Strahan, New Norfolk, St Helens, Scottsdale, Currie on King Island and Whitemark on Flinders Island.
The State Emergency Service advises people to move vehicles under cover and away from trees, secure loose outdoor items, and keep clear of fallen power lines and damaged trees. Livestock and pets should be moved to shelter. The SES emergency number is 132 500, and TasNetworks can be reached on 132 004 for power outages.
A separate Sheep Graziers Warning is current for the Upper Derwent Valley and South East forecast districts, where cold, wet and windy conditions are expected to pose a risk to lambs and recently shorn sheep.
The same system has produced a severe weather warning on the mainland. The Bureau issued a warning at 4:43 pm on Wednesday for damaging winds over alpine areas in parts of the Snowy Mountains Forecast District in New South Wales.
Flood warnings from the recent run of wet weather in the south-east are still active but easing. Minor flood warnings remain current for the Murray River in New South Wales and Victoria and for the Loddon River in Victoria. The Bureau has issued final flood warnings for the Kiewa River in Victoria and Mirrool Creek in New South Wales, which means those rivers are falling and no further warnings are expected.
The Bureau said it would issue its next update on the Tasmanian warning by 11:00 pm Wednesday. People in the warning area should check the Bureau's website for the current product before Thursday morning, because warning areas and gust forecasts are revised as the system moves through.
