Flood Watch Issued for Northern Territory and Western Australia as Tropical Low 31U 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This alert is no longer in effect.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 several catchments across the Top End and North West Coastal regions as Tropical Low 31U causes significant flooding and rapid river rises.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Flood Watch
- Affected area
- Northern Territory and 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 Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Alert Details
The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a Flood Watch (Update Number 10) for parts of the Bonaparte, North West Coastal, and Carpentaria Coastal River catchments. This alert serves as early advice for possible flooding within specified catchments due to the influence of Tropical Low 31U.
Affected Areas
The following catchments are currently included in the Flood Watch area:
- Victoria River below Kalkarindji
- Fitzmaurice River
- Moyle River
- Katherine River (Major flood warning currently in effect)
- Daly River above Douglas River (Major flood warning currently in effect)
- Lower Daly River
- Finniss River
- Upper Adelaide River
- Adelaide River below Adelaide River Town
- Waterhouse River (Major flood warning currently in effect)
- Roper River (Flood warning currently in effect)
Flooding is no longer expected in the East Kimberley, Upper Victoria, Walker, Towns, Limmen Bight, Rosie, McArthur, Robinson, Calvert, and Settlement catchments.
What You Should Do
Residents and travelers in the affected areas are urged to take the following safety 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 roads.
- Check road conditions before traveling, as roads may become impassable and communities may become isolated.
- For emergency assistance, contact the SES at 132 500. In life-threatening emergencies, call 000 immediately.
- Monitor local media and the ABC for further updates.
Expected Conditions
Tropical Low 31U is currently located in the Arnhem District and is expected to weaken into a trough across the Top End over the weekend. The interaction of lows and the trough is bringing heavy rainfall to catchments that are already wet from recent activity. Widespread heavy rainfall has been recorded across the Daly, Roper, and Adelaide River catchments in the 48 hours leading up to Saturday morning. This rainfall is causing rapid river level rises, significant flooding, and prolonged overland ponding.
Timeline
This alert was issued at 12:23 pm ACST on Saturday, March 7, 2026. The situation is changing quickly, and the next Flood Watch update is scheduled to be issued by 1:00 pm ACST on Sunday, March 8, 2026.
Original source: BOM Official Notice ↗
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