Moderate Flood Warning Issued for Fitzroy River at Fitzroy Crossing and Noonkanbah
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, the CDC PLACES population-level health analysis, and the CMS Hospital Compare quality data, Areazine publishes editorial articles drawing on more than 19,000 U.S. city profiles. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a moderate flood warning for the Fitzroy River in Western Australia, with moderate flooding currently occurring at Fitzroy Crossing.
What this BoM weather warning tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by BOM on February 17, 2026 and geographically references West Kimberley, Western Australia. Its severity classification of "high" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken — "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to — Weather Warnings — determines the regulatory framework behind it, which shapes what remedies (refunds, replacements, recalls, evacuations) are available to affected individuals and who holds statutory responsibility for enforcement.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to read it as a data point about the issuing system: how quickly BOM detected the hazard, how precise the geographic or product-identifier scope is, and whether similar notices have clustered in the same category or region in the last 90 days. Cluster patterns frequently precede a broader regulatory action — a single localized BoM weather warning is isolated; three of them within a quarter often indicate a supply-chain, infrastructure, or seasonal driver that will keep producing notices until something structural changes.
For decision-making, Areazine pairs each alert with the original agency URL, the full agency name, and a timestamp so you can verify the notice against the primary source before acting on it. Tags on this item (weather, alert, FloodWarning, WesternAustralia) map to related alerts in the same area of risk — browsing them together gives a clearer picture than any single notice alone, because the shape of an ongoing issue only becomes visible across multiple sequential alerts.
Alert Details
The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a Moderate Flood Warning (IDW39885) for the Fitzroy River. This is the ninth warning issued for this event, effective as of 10:59 am AWST on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. The alert indicates that moderate flooding is occurring at Fitzroy Crossing, while minor flooding is occurring at Noonkanbah.
Affected Areas
The warning specifically covers the following regions in Western Australia:
- Fitzroy River at Fitzroy Crossing
- Fitzroy River at Noonkanbah
- Fitzroy River from Fitzroy Crossing to Noonkanbah
- Fitzroy River to Fitzroy Crossing
A separate Flood Watch remains current for parts of the West Kimberley and Pilbara regions.
What You Should Do
Residents and travelers in the affected areas are advised 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 waterways.
- Obey all road closure signs and plan travel to avoid flooded roads.
- Monitor the ABC and local media for updates.
- For local emergency management advice, visit www.emergency.wa.gov.au.
- For emergency assistance, contact the SES at 132 500. In life-threatening situations, call 000 immediately.
Expected Conditions
Moderate flooding is currently occurring along the Fitzroy River to Fitzroy Crossing. The river at Fitzroy Crossing peaked at 11.50 meters at approximately 9:15 pm Monday and was recorded at 11.35 meters and falling as of 10:00 am Tuesday.
At Noonkanbah, minor flooding is occurring with the river level recorded at 10.21 meters and steady. A minor flood peak is possible at Noonkanbah during Thursday.
Further rainfall is forecast across the catchment for the next several days, which may lead to renewed river level rises. Current river heights as of 10:05 am Tuesday include:
- Hann River at Phillips Range: 3.22 m (Rising)
- Margaret River at Margaret Gorge: 3.53 m (Rising)
- Leopold River at Mt Winifred: 3.45 m (Rising)
- Christmas Creek at Homestead: 3.84 m (Rising)
Timeline
The alert is currently in effect. The Fitzroy River at Fitzroy Crossing is expected to fall below the moderate flood level (11.00 m) overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. The Bureau of Meteorology expects to issue the next warning update by 11:00 am AWST on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.
Original source: BOM Official Notice ↗
Related Weather Warnings
All Weather Warnings →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this BoM weather warning.
What is this BoM weather warning about? ▾
Which agency issued this alert? ▾
How severe is this alert? ▾
What area is affected? ▾
Where can I find more Weather Warnings updates? ▾
Primary source data
EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data
Federal monitoring network — every measurement we report
AirNow (EPA / NOAA)
Real-time AQI for every monitored U.S. location
National Weather Service
Active watches, warnings, and advisories — NOAA
CDC Air Quality & Health
Health-impact reference behind every AQI category