Flood Watch Issued for Finke River, MacDonnell Ranges, and Simpson Desert
This alert is no longer in effect.
BOM issued it on April 3, 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 Southern and Eastern Inland Areas, warning of potential road closures and isolated communities due to wet catchments.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Flood Watch
- Affected area
- Southern and Eastern Inland Areas
- Issued
- April 3, 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 Southern and Eastern Inland Areas.
Alert Details
Type: Flood Watch (IDD20595) Issued by: Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) Effective: Through March 19, 2026
Affected Areas
The following catchments in the Southern and Eastern Inland Areas of the Northern Territory and Western Australia are likely to be affected:
- Finke River and Stephenson Creek
- MacDonnell Ranges
- Simpson Desert
Flooding is no longer expected in the following catchments: Sturt Creek District, Western Desert, Central Desert, and Tanami Desert.
What You Should Do
- Stay Safe: Do not drive, walk, swim, or play in floodwater as it is dangerous. Stay away from flooded drains, rivers, streams, and waterways.
- Travel with Caution: Obey road closure signs and check road conditions before traveling. Roads may become impassable, and some communities or homesteads may become isolated.
- Stay Informed: Check the ABC and local media for updates. For local emergency management warnings and advice, visit www.securent.nt.gov.au.
- Emergency Assistance: Call the SES at 132 500 for assistance. In life-threatening emergencies, call 000 immediately.
Expected Conditions
Catchments in the watch area are currently wet from recent rainfall. While a trough of low pressure moved out of the southern Northern Territory on Wednesday morning and a ridge of high pressure is developing to bring drier conditions, forecast rainfall may still cause significant water level rises in rivers and creeks. Residents should expect potential overland flooding and ponding.
Timeline
This alert was issued at 12:54 pm ACST on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The next update is scheduled to be issued by 1:00 pm ACST on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
Original source: BOM Official Notice ↗
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