Flood Watch Issued for Central and Eastern Inland Northern Territory as Tropical Low Brings Heavy Rain
This alert is no longer in effect.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 parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland as a slow-moving tropical low causes river rises and isolates communities.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Flood Watch
- Affected area
- Central and Eastern Inland Northern Territory
- 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 Central and Eastern Inland Northern Territory.
Alert Details
The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued Flood Watch Number 9 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 likely to be affected:
- Georgina River and Eyre Creek
- Finke River and Stephenson Creek
- Simpson Desert
- Central Desert
- MacDonnell Ranges (eastern areas)
- Tanami Desert (eastern areas)
- Barkly (southern areas)
What You Should Do
Residents and travelers in the affected areas are advised to take the following precautions:
- Do not drive, walk, swim, or play in floodwater, 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.
- Check road conditions before traveling, as many roads are currently impacted and some communities are isolated.
- Monitor the welfare of livestock, as conditions are likely to be adverse.
- For emergency assistance, contact the SES at 132 500. In life-threatening emergencies, call 000 immediately.
Expected Conditions
A slow-moving tropical low situated over the far southeast of the Northern Territory is expected to drift north and west over the Simpson District through Thursday and Friday. This system is carrying rich tropical moisture, bringing a continued 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. River and creek level rises, localized flooding, and overland inundation are already occurring across parts of the watch area.
Timeline
The alert was issued at 12:30 pm ACST on Thursday, 26 February 2026. Further flooding is expected over the next few days, particularly in the Simpson Desert and parts of the Georgina and Eyre Creek where the heaviest rainfall is forecast. The next update from the Bureau of Meteorology is scheduled to be issued by 01:30 PM ACST on Friday, 27 February 2026.
Original source: BOM Official Notice ↗
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