Minor flood warning for Lower Derwent

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology Tasmania

INITIAL WARNING

MINOR FLOOD WARNING FOR LOWER RIVER DERWENT

Issued at 11:06am on Sunday 13 October 2013
by the Bureau of Meteorology, Hobart

Flood Warning Number: 1

Minor Flooding is expected to develop about the lower reaches of the River Derwent by late Sunday afternoon.

Most storages in the system are now full with many dams on spill.

A further 20mm of rain is forecast for the upper catchment today.

Derwent above Ouse River
River level rises during the Sunday with levels expected to remain below their Minor flood levels.

Ouse River
River levels to remain below the Minor flood level.

Clyde River
River levels to remain below the Minor flood level.

Below Meadowbank Dam
Minor flooding to develop below Meadowbank dam by late Sunday afternoon.
River level rises from Macquarie Plains to New Norfolk approaching the minor flood level on Monday.

Tyenna River
High levels with strong flows during Sunday.

Styx River
High levels with strong flows during Sunday.

New Norfolk
River rises with levels at New Norfolk approaching the minor flood level on Monday.

Predicted River Heights/Flows:
Based on observed and forecast rainfall, the following river peak heights are predicted:

• River Derwent Below Meadowbank Dam 4-4.3 metres (MINOR), Sunday evening, 13/10/2013

FloodSafe advice is available at www.ses.tas.gov.au.

Road closure information is available at www.police.tas.gov.au

For emergency assistance call the SES on 13 25 00.

For life threatening situations, call 000 immediately.

Weather Forecast:
Showers becoming less widespread tonight.

Next Issue:
By 4PM Sunday 13/10/13

Latest River Heights:
Location Height of River Date/Time of Observation
Derwent River below Lk St Clair 1.88m rising 07:05 PM SAT 12/10/13
Ouse River at Ashton 0.77m rising 07:30 AM SUN 13/10/13
Clyde River at Bothwell 0.21m falling 07:00 AM SUN 13/10/13
Clyde River at Hamilton NA NA
Derwent River below Meadowbank Dam 3.61m rising 09:30 AM SUN 13/10/13
Derwent River at Macquarie Plains 2.58m rising 09:45 AM SUN 13/10/13
TYENNA RIVER AT NEWBURY 1.26m steady 09:00 AM SUN 13/10/13
STYX RIVER AT BRUCES BRIDGE 1.8m falling 09:55 AM SUN 13/10/13
Derwent River near Bryn Estyn 2.68m falling 09:00 AM SUN 13/10/13
DERWENT RIVER AT NEW NORFOLK 0.95m falling 10:07 AM SUN 13/10/13

For the latest rainfall and river level information see www.bom.gov.au/tas/flood/

Today's weather warnings

Road Weather Alert
for Central Plateau, Upper Derwent Valley and South East forecast districts

Issued at 9:51am on Sunday 13 October 2013.

Snow covered roads above 400 metres will make driving conditions dangerous during Sunday in parts of the Central Plateau, Upper Derwent Valley and South East forecast districts.

For information on any road closures, please contact your local council or the Police.

The next alert will be issued by 5pm Sunday.

Bush Walkers Weather Alert
for the Western and Central Plateau forecast districts

Issued at 9:51am on Sunday 13 October 2013.

Bush walkers are advised that snow as low as 400 metres is expected during Sunday. These hazardous conditions are expected to occur in parts of the Western and Central Plateau forecast districts.

The next warning will be issued by 5pm Sunday.

Warning to Sheep Graziers
for the East Coast, Midlands, Upper Derwent Valley, South East, Furneaux Islands, North West Coast and King Island forecast districts

Issued at 9:49am on Sunday 13 October 2013.

Sheep Graziers are warned that cold temperatures, showers and southwesterly winds are expected during Sunday. Areas likely to be affected include parts of the East Coast, Midlands, Upper Derwent Valley, South East, Furneaux Islands, North West Coast and King Island forecast districts. There is a high risk of losses of lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions.

The warning to sheep graziers for parts of the Central North and North East forecast districts has been cancelled.

The next warning will be issued by 5pm Sunday.

Derwent River flood watch continues

Australian Government
Bureau of Meteorology Tasmania

Note: This Flood Watch is a "heads up" for possible future flooding and is NOT a Flood Warning.

FLOOD WATCH FOR THE HUON AND RIVER DERWENT BASINS

Issued at 4.27pm on Saturday 12 October 2013

A Flood Watch continues for the Huon River and the lower River Derwent and is now extended to the upper River Derwent.

A cold front is moving over south-western Tasmania this afternoon, with another cold front crossing Tasmania during Sunday.

Rainfall in the order of 20 to 35mm is expected about the Huon and Derwent catchments overnight Saturday.

Forecast rain likely to produce renewed river level rises across the Huon River and the River Derwent basins (including the Styx and Tyenna river catchments) later today and again on Sunday.

A Minor Flood Warning is current for the Huon River basin.

River rises in the Lower Derwent are possible during the remainder of Saturday into Sunday as levels remain high in the Styx and the Tyenna rivers. Storages within the system are at high levels, and additional rainfall could put some dams in the upper and lower Derwent on spill.

• FloodSafe advice is available at www.ses.tas.gov.au
• Road closure information is available at www.police.tas.gov.au
• For emergency assistance call the SES on  13 25 00.
• For life threatening situations, call 000 immediately.
• Weather Forecast: Showers.
• Next Issue: By 10am, Sunday 13/10/2013
• For the latest rainfall and river level information see www.bom.gov.au/tas/flood

Upgrade for esplanade river access

Click image to enlarge

MARINE and Safety Tasmania (MAST) will provide up to $40,000 to provide a pontoon system to improve access to and from the Derwent River at the esplanade in New Norfolk.

A grant has been provided from the Recreational Boating Fund and the completed pontoon system will be owned by the Derwent Valley Council. This will be similar to the temporary pontoon seen at this year's Derwent Valley Autumn Festival (left).

MAST has allocated nearly $1 million a year from recreational boating registration fees into the Recreational Boating Fund. Submissions are sought from from boat owners each year for worthwhile projects to be funded. More than $13.5 million has been spent on improvements to recreational boating facilities and services around the state since 1998.

Click image to enlarge. 

Weather warnings issued

A FLOOD watch remains in place for the Lower Derwent basin this afternoon and various other alerts have been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for tonight and tomorrow.

Bush Walkers Weather Alert
for the Western and Central Plateau forecast districts

Issued at 3.58pm  on Saturday 12 October 2013.
Bush walkers are advised that snow as low as 400 metres is expected during Saturday and Sunday. These hazardous conditions are expected to occur in parts of the Western and Central Plateau forecast districts.

The next warning will be issued by 11pm  Saturday.

Road Weather Alert for Tasmania
for Western, Central Plateau, Upper Derwent Valley and South East forecast districts

Issued at 3.58 pm on Saturday 12 October 2013.
Snow-covered roads above 400 metres will make driving conditions dangerous during Saturday and Sunday in parts of the Western, Central Plateau, Upper Derwent Valley and South East forecast districts.

For information on any road closures, please contact your local council or the Police.

The next alert will be issued by 11pm Saturday.

Warning to Sheep Graziers
for the King Island, North West Coast, Midlands, Central North, Upper Derwent Valley, South East, Furneaux Islands, East Coast and North East forecast districts

Issued at 3.58 pm EDT on Saturday 12 October 2013.
Sheep graziers are warned that cold temperatures, showers and strong westerly winds are expected during Saturday and Sunday. Areas likely to be affected include the Furneaux Islands forecast district and parts of the King Island, North West Coast, Midlands, Central North, Upper Derwent Valley, South East, East Coast and North East forecast districts.

There is a high risk of losses of lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions.

The next warning will be issued by 11pm Saturday.

Local Wind Warnings for Saturday

• Small craft alert for the following areas: Central Plateau Lakes and South West Lakes
• Cancellation for the following areas: Derwent Estuary, Frederick Henry and Norfolk Bay, Storm Bay, Channel, Far North West Coast, Central North Coast, Banks Strait and Franklin Sound and Lower East Coast

Local Wind Warnings for Sunday

• Strong wind warning for the following areas: Derwent Estuary, Frederick Henry and Norfolk Bay, Channel and South West Coast
• Small craft alert for the following area: Central Plateau Lakes

The next marine wind warning summary will be issued by 5am Sunday.

Check the latest Coastal Waters Forecast or Local Waters Forecast for information on wind, wave and weather conditions for these coastal zones.

Early New Norfolk in colour

Click on image to enlarge

THIS rare colour view of New Norfolk in the late 19th or early 20th century is the latest piece of local history being offered for sale on eBay.

The online auction for this postcard showing an almost empty Montagu St/Glenora Rd area closes later this afternoon. The foreground, now Sharland Avenue, is all farmland. In the middle distance is the grand home of the Shoobridge family, then called Corumbene, which is now St Brigid's School.

Bidding started at $5.99 and at the time of writing had reached $21 with just under four hours to go. The eBay listing can be seen here.

Lower Derwent on flood watch

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology Tasmania

Note: This Flood Watch is a "heads up" for possible future flooding and is NOT a Flood Warning.

FLOOD WATCH FOR THE HUON AND LOWER RIVER DERWENT BASINS

Issued at 3:54pm on Friday 11 October 2013

By the Bureau of Meteorology, Hobart

A Flood Watch continues for the Huon River and is now extended to the Lower River Derwent.

Rainfall totals in the order of 20 to 62mm have been recorded across the Huon River Basin and up to 35mm across the Styx and Tyenna rivers in the 24 hours to 3PM Friday, with additional 10 to 15mm still possible for the remainder of Friday.

A Minor flood warning is current for the Huon River basin. River rises have been observed in the upper reaches of the Huon and Picton rivers with river levels in the middle reaches of the Huon River expected to exceed the minor flood level late Friday evening.

River rises have also been observed in the upper reaches of the Styx and the Tyenna rivers, with river rises expected in the Lower River Derwent during Friday evening.

Renewed rises are possible during the weekend as series of cold fronts with showers will cross the State Saturday afternoon and Sunday bringing further 20 to 30mm of rain each day along the Huon River and Lower River Derwent basins.

FloodSafe advice is available at www.ses.tas.gov.au

Road closure information is available at www.police.tas.gov.au

For emergency assistance call the SES on telephone number 132 500.

For life threatening situations, call 000 immediately.

Weather Forecast:

Showers contracting to the west during Friday evening.

Showers from early Saturday afternoon.

Next Issue:

By 10AM, Saturday 12/10/2013

For the latest rainfall and river level information see www.bom.gov.au/tas/flood