Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Melbourne Area: Intense Rainfall and Flash Flooding Expected

Alert Details

The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning (IDV21035) for the Melbourne Area. This high-priority alert is specifically for intense rainfall and is classified as a major warning group type. The warning was issued at 2:33 pm Tuesday, 24 February 2026.

Affected Areas

The warning affects people in parts of the following Local Warning Areas:

• Inner East
• Inner
• Northern
• Outer East
• Western

Specific suburbs in the path of the storm include Craigieburn, Warburton, Preston, Coburg, Mill Park, Greensborough, Whittlesea, and Doncaster.

What You Should Do

The State Emergency Service (SES) advises residents in the warning area to take the following actions:

• Avoid Travel: If driving conditions are dangerous, safely pull over away from trees, drains, low-lying areas, and floodwater. Avoid travel if possible.
• Seek Shelter: Stay indoors and away from windows. If caught outdoors, move to a safe place indoors and stay away from trees, drains, gutters, creeks, and waterways.
• Secure Property: Check that loose items such as outdoor settings, umbrellas, and trampolines are safely secured. Move vehicles under cover or away from trees.
• Hazard Awareness: Stay away from fallen powerlines and assume they are live. Be aware that recent storms, heat, or fire may make trees unstable and more likely to fall.
• Monitor Conditions: Stay informed by monitoring weather warnings and river levels through the Bureau of Meteorology and VicEmergency platforms.

Expected Conditions

Very dangerous thunderstorms are producing intense rainfall that may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding. At 2:30 pm, these storms were detected near Craigieburn and Warburton, moving toward the southeast. Significant rainfall has already been observed, with 38.4 mm recorded at Spring Hill in the 1 hour and 15 minutes leading up to 2:00 pm.

Timeline

The warning was issued at 2:33 pm on Tuesday, 24 February 2026. The storms are forecast to affect Preston, Coburg, and Mill Park by 2:45 pm, and Greensborough, Whittlesea, and Doncaster by 3:00 pm. The next update from the Bureau of Meteorology is due to be issued by 3:05 pm.