Flood Watch Issued for Fitzroy and Kimberley Rivers in Western Australia
This alert is no longer in effect.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 the Fitzroy, North Kimberley, and East Kimberley rivers as a tropical low brings heavy rain starting Friday.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Flood Watch
- Affected area
- Western Australia
- 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 Western Australia.
Alert Details
The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a Flood Watch (IDW39605) for the Fitzroy and Kimberley regions. This is the first flood watch issued for this event, providing early advice of possible flooding within specified catchments.
Affected Areas
The alert covers the following catchments in Western Australia:
- Fitzroy River (Note: A Minor Flood Warning is already current for the lower catchment)
- North Kimberley Rivers
- East Kimberley Rivers
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 extremely dangerous.
- Stay away from flooded drains, rivers, streams, and waterways.
- Obey all road closure signs and plan travel ahead of time to avoid flooded roads.
- Monitor the ABC and local media for updates as the situation can change quickly.
- For emergency assistance, contact the SES at 132 500.
- In life-threatening situations, call 000 immediately.
- Visit www.emergency.wa.gov.au for local emergency management advice.
Expected Conditions
A tropical low currently situated over the Northern Territory is forecast to drift slowly toward the Kimberley region over the coming days. This system is expected to deliver widespread rainfall, including locally heavy falls, across the northern and eastern Kimberley starting Friday.
Because catchments in the area are already wet, they are likely to respond quickly to the additional precipitation. Expected impacts include:
- Rising river and creek levels.
- Prolonged overland flooding and ponding.
- Disruptions to road access.
- Potential isolation of some communities and homesteads.
Timeline
The Flood Watch was issued at 1:25 pm AWST on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. The weather system and associated rainfall are expected to impact the region from Friday, March 13, onwards. The Bureau of Meteorology plans to issue the next update by 1:00 pm AWST on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
Original source: BOM Official Notice ↗
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