Flood Watch Issued for Barkly, Central Desert, and Simpson Desert Regions
This alert is no longer in effect.
BOM issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this BoM weather warning directly from BOM's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a Flood Watch for inland areas of the Northern Territory and Queensland as a slow-moving tropical low brings heavy rain and rising river levels.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Flood Watch
- Affected area
- Northern Territory and Queensland Inland Regions
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- BOM
Flood notices turn on location and timing. Treat the named area as this record's scope; do not assume nearby counties, parishes, or waterways were included.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Northern Territory and Queensland Inland Regions.
Alert Details
The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a Flood Watch (IDD20590) for parts of the Eastern, Central, and Western inland areas of the Northern Territory and parts of Queensland. This alert serves as early advice for possible flooding within specified catchments due to a slow-moving tropical low.
Affected Areas
The following catchments and regions are expected to be affected:
- Georgina River and Eyre Creek
- Finke River and Stephenson Creek
- MacDonnell Ranges (eastern areas)
- Simpson Desert
- Central Desert
- Tanami Desert (eastern areas)
- Barkly (southern areas)
What You Should Do
Residents and travelers in the affected areas are advised to take the following safety precautions:
- Do not drive, walk, swim, or play in floodwaters as it is dangerous.
- Stay away from flooded drains, rivers, streams, and other waterways.
- Obey all road closure signs and plan travel ahead to avoid flooded routes.
- Monitor local media and the ABC for updates. The situation can change quickly.
- For emergency assistance, contact the SES at 132 500. In life-threatening situations, call 000 immediately.
- Check road conditions before traveling, as many roads are currently impacted by flooding, causing isolation of some communities.
Expected Conditions
A slow-moving tropical low situated over the southeast Simpson District is drawing in rich tropical moisture, creating a risk of heavy rainfall. Because catchments are already wet from significant rainfall over the last few days, they are expected to respond quickly to further precipitation. Expected hazards include:
- Significant river and creek level rises.
- Localised flooding and overland inundation, which are likely to become more extensive.
- Isolation of communities due to impacted road conditions.
- Adverse effects on the welfare of livestock.
Timeline
The alert was issued at 12:48 pm ACST on Tuesday, 24 February 2026. Further flooding is expected over the next few days, particularly in the Simpson Desert, Georgina and Eyre Creek, and the MacDonnell Ranges where the heaviest rainfall is forecast. The next update from the Bureau of Meteorology is scheduled to be issued by 1:30 pm ACST on Wednesday, 25 February 2026.
Original source: BOM Official Notice ↗
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