Statewide severe weather warning issued

DESTRUCTIVE winds and heavy rain forecast statewide from Tuesday morning have authorities worried.

Acting SES Assistant Director Cheryl Ames said severe weather in Tasmania is expected to develop early tomorrow morning and might continue throughout the week.

“The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a Severe Weather Warning for statewide damaging winds, with the potential for locally destructive winds,” she said.

“Wind gusts around 100 km/h are possible in the north, with gusts around 110 km forecast for the rest of the State.

“From Tuesday morning wind gusts are likely to reach around 125 km/h in elevated terrain and parts of the East Coast between Swansea and Orford, before easing later in the evening.

“Although winds may ease at times, we encourage the community to remain vigilant, as the wind and developing rain conditions will likely continue throughout this week.

"The combination of high soil moisture and damaging to destructive wind speeds increases the chances of trees being brought down.

“The Bureau has also issued a Flood Watch for the Tamar, Derwent, Huon, Forth and Mersey rivers, and parts of the North-West coast.

“We will be monitoring the rain levels, with the possibility of widespread minor flooding due to catchments across Tasmania being relatively wet due to recent rainfall."

“As always, our dedicated SES volunteer crews will be available to support the community if and where needed, however, we’re urging all Tasmanians to monitor the conditions and prepare appropriately.”
 

The State Emergency Service advises that people should:
• Supervise children closely.
• Check that family and neighbours are aware of warnings.
• Manage pets and livestock.
• Secure outdoor items including furniture and play equipment.
• Be prepared in case of power outages and report any outages to TasNetworks on 132 004.
• Beware of damaged trees and power lines and take care when driving.
• Do not walk, ride or drive through flood waters.
• For current river levels and weather conditions, visit www.bom.gov.au/tas/
• For SES Warning updates, visit TasALERT.com or listen to ABC local radio
• In a life threatening emergency, call Triple-Zero (000). For SES assistance call 132 500.