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Massive 2,000-mile thunderstorms sweep across Australia – putting the ENTIRE east coast at risk of wild weather – amid severe flood warnings coming
- A 2000 km stretch of thunderstorms moves east across Australia
- It is expected to bring more wild weather to NSW and Victoria, including flooding
- Major floods and heavy rainfall have already flooded regions in both states
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Wild weather will sweep across the country this week as a 2,000km stretch of thunderstorms rip through central Australia, triggering looming flood warnings to the east.
The showers and thunderstorms will move into eastern states, including NSW and Victoria, where major flooding is already occurring.
Stretching from the Northern Territory to South Australia, the band of thunderstorms is powered by a low-pressure system that interacts with the moisture in the air.
A 2,000km stretch of thunderstorms sweep across central Australia and head toward the eastern states
The band is expected to bring heavy rain and flooding to the east in areas already submerged (photo, rescuers evacuate residents during flooding in the Maribyrnong)
“As we go into Wednesday, we’ll see that system moving further east, with widespread rain and storms,” said Dean Narramore of the Bureau of Meteorology.
Thursday, ‘fairly severe’ thunderstorms threaten eastern Queensland and NSW, which will continue into Friday.
A low pressure area will weaken but be followed by more rain over the weekend.
As saturated river basins cope with further submergence, authorities are warning that the flooding will continue for months.
“This is not good news for our flood-affected areas,” said Mr Narramore
The downpours could lead to re-flooding along rivers in parts of the Northwest, Central West and Southwest watersheds, which have already been inundated by months of ongoing rain.
Residents of Echuca and Moama, near the Victorian border, have been urged to “evacuate immediately” as the Murray River is expected to rise to levels not seen in 150 years.
Thousands of homes in both cities are at risk of flooding on Wednesday.
Already 300 people in and near Moama have been told to leave this week, and thousands are on standby as the area is expected to overshadow the area’s second worst flooding heights in 1993.
The SES has distributed tens of thousands of sandbags and set up evacuation centers in the area.
Flood-weary communities in NSW and Victoria can expect heavy rain and storms in the coming days (pictured, the Highway Bridge at Axedale, in Victoria, damaged by floodwater)
Deputy Emergency Commissioner Ken Murphy said volunteers have been dealing with flooding since February and everyone should prepare for the wet weather all summer (pictured, CFA crews sandbag part of Echuca, Victoria)
Deputy Emergency Commissioner Ken Murphy said weary volunteers have been dealing with flooding since February and everyone should prepare for a long, wet summer.
“What we have to take into account is that this is a very, very long event and these floods will generally continue across NSW for a number of months,” he told ABC TV on Wednesday.
Emergency Relief Minister Steph Cooke said the wet conditions have tested the resolve of flood-weary communities.
“This is what the life of a third consecutive La Nina event looks like,” she said.
“Our site is saturated and it continues to rain and more rain.”
Major flood warnings are still in effect for eight rivers in the state, mostly inland rivers, including the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers.
Closer to shore in the NSW Hunter region, the agency is warning of a renewed flood threat on some rivers if rain continues, with the flood-prone Wollombi Brook likely to flood later in the week.
The agency also closely monitors the Lower Hunter River and Colo River northwest of Sydney.