Major flooding warnings issued from Darwin to Melbourne after parts of Australia pelted by a year’s rain in just days

Australians are being battered by heavy rainfall, with flood warnings stretching from Darwin to Melbourne after almost a year of torrential rain in some areas.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said tropical low 29U, moving westward over the Coral Sea, had brought 100-300mm of rain to areas between Cairns and Townsville in the last 24 hours.

“We could see hundreds more millimeters of rainfall there in the coming days,” Mr Narramore said.

“There is a moderate chance that 30U off the WA coast and 29U over the Coral Sea will develop into a tropical cyclone as it moves westward.”

Severe weather warnings were issued in Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Darwin due to rain.

“We have flood watchers from Darwin to Melbourne,” Mr Narramore said.

“We saw widespread and heavy rainfall across eastern South Australia, western NSW and northern and north-western Victoria.

“Many places, particularly outback South Australia, NSW and north-west Victoria, have experienced six to almost 12 months of rainfall in the last few days.

“We’ve seen widespread falls of 50 to 100mm across Northern Victoria and Western NSW in the last 24 hours.”

Mildura in northwestern Victoria has experienced severe flooding after 150mm of rain fell on the area in the last three days.

Their annual average is 290 mm.

“They’ve seen six months of rain, and in many other places they’re seeing the value of the season, even the annual rainfall,” Mr Narramore said.

“There are therefore flood watches in place for the Northern Territory, Queensland, western NSW and western and northern Victoria.

“There are several flood warnings in Queensland for major flooding on the Georgina River, Flinders River, Thompson River, Cooper Creek and on the northern tropical coast the Herbert River.

“This will be a concern in the coming days as more widespread rainfall is expected along the northern tropical coast.”