Flood Watch Issued for North East Pastoral District and Major River Catchments
This alert is no longer in effect.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 several catchments in South Australia's North East Pastoral District due to a low pressure system bringing heavy rainfall.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Flood Watch
- Affected area
- North East Pastoral District, South Australia
- 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 North East Pastoral District, South Australia.
Alert Details
The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a Flood Watch (IDS20374) for parts of the North East Pastoral District. This watch serves as early advice for possible flooding within specified catchments as a low pressure system and trough move across the region. A Severe Weather Warning for heavy rainfall is also currently active for parts of the district.
Affected Areas
The following catchments are likely to be affected by rising water levels:
- Warburton River
- Cooper Creek
- Lake Eyre
- Lake Frome
- Finke River and Stephenson Creek
- Simpson Desert
Flood warnings are already current for the Warburton and Cooper catchments. Flooding is no longer expected in the Eastern Great Victoria Desert or the Warburton District.
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 ahead to avoid driving on flooded roads.
- Check road conditions before traveling, as some communities and homesteads may become isolated.
- Monitor the ABC and local media for updates as the situation can change quickly.
- For emergency assistance, call the SES at 132 500. In life-threatening emergencies, call 000 immediately.
Expected Conditions
A low pressure system and trough over the north-east of the state will continue to move north-eastwards, bringing further moderate to heavy rainfall. Because catchments in the Flood Watch area are already moderately wet, they are likely to respond quickly to additional rainfall. Expected impacts include river and creek level rises, prolonged overland flooding, and ponding.
Timeline
The alert was issued at 11:33 am ACDT on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The weather systems are expected to clear the state by Thursday, March 19. The Bureau of Meteorology will issue the next Flood Watch update by 12:00 PM ACDT on Thursday.
Original source: BOM Official Notice ↗
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