Flood Watch Issued for Top End, Central, and Western Inland Areas of Northern Territory and 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This alert is no longer in effect.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.
A tropical low is expected to bring widespread heavy rainfall and potential flooding to several catchments across the Northern Territory and Western Australia through the weekend.
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
A Flood Watch (IDD20595) has been issued by the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology for parts of the Top End, Central, and Western Inland areas. This is an update to an ongoing weather event, issued at 12:42 pm ACST on Friday, March 13, 2026.
Affected Areas
The following catchments and regions are included in this watch:
- Western Australia: East Kimberley Rivers and Sturt Creek District.
- Northern Territory: Upper Victoria River, Victoria River below Kalkarindji, Fitzmaurice River, Moyle River, Katherine River, Daly River above Douglas River, Lower Daly River, Waterhouse River, Roper River, Finke River and Stephenson Creek, MacDonnell Ranges, Western Desert, Central Desert, Tanami Desert, and Barkly.
Specific flood warnings are already in effect for several areas, including a Major Flood Warning for the Lower Daly River and Minor Flood Warnings for the Upper Victoria and Katherine Rivers.
What You Should Do
Residents in the affected areas are advised to:
- Avoid driving, walking, swimming, or playing in floodwaters as it is dangerous.
- Stay away from flooded drains, rivers, streams, and waterways.
- Obey all road closure signs and check road conditions before attempting to travel.
- Plan for potential isolation of communities and homesteads.
- For emergency assistance, contact the SES at 132 500. In life-threatening situations, call 000 immediately.
Expected Conditions
A tropical low currently situated over the far northern Gregory District is moving slowly toward the Kimberley. Combined with a deepening trough over the southwest Northern Territory, this system is forecast to generate widespread and potentially heavy rainfall. Because catchments are already wet from recent rain, further significant water level rises in rivers and creeks are expected, alongside prolonged overland flooding and ponding. Roads may become impassable due to these conditions.
Timeline
The alert was issued on Friday, March 13, 2026, and remains active as the weather system moves through the region during the weekend. The Bureau of Meteorology expects to issue the next update by 01:00 PM ACST on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
Original source: BOM Official Notice ↗
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