Severe weather warnings issued for three states have been partially downgraded by the Bureau of Meteorology in an unexpected piece of good news for flood-threatened towns.

The front is expected to diminish the threat of significant wind, rain and flooding events in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

Showers are expected to move across the coast on Friday morning before finally moving offshore in the afternoon and evening.

But the threat is far from gone.

Sunny skies should provide a brief weekend reprieve but many places will remain flooded.

The fortnight ahead will be soggy with above-median rainfall (greater than 80 per cent chance) on the cards for large parts of the eastern two-thirds of Australia.

The Severe Weather Warning has been re-issued for #Tasmania. The heavy rainfall is still expected to continue overnight, but will ease from the west early Friday morning as a front crosses.
See https://t.co/NHL3HY17vm pic.twitter.com/QlUCfjozBw

— Bureau of Meteorology, Tasmania (@BOM_Tas) October 13, 2022

Heavy rainfall was expected to continue overnight into Friday, particularly in Tasmania, as townships remained on flood alert with rising river levels and some were evacuated.

In central western New South Wales, hundreds of people were told to evacuate Forbes on Thursday night before major flooding hits the area.

The State Emergency Service ordered people in about 250 homes to leave the township before 8pm on Thursday as the Lachlan River was expected to reach a major flood peak of 10.6 metres early on Friday.

In north-west Tasmania, residents of an area stretching from Liena to Latrobe were on Thursday evening ordered to evacuate if safe to do so, with the region’s Mersey River breaking its banks.

Those along the Meander River from Meander to Hadspen were also been told to leave their homes.

Latrobe Council Mayor Peter Freshney said his community was anxious but better prepared after deadly flooding six years ago.

“People and properties that experienced flooding in 2016 are most likely to experience that again,” he said.

“We’re preparing as best we can. (People) have their stock on higher ground. They are moving machinery to higher ground.

“We won’t be hopefully rescuing people off rooftops – we’ll be rescuing them before the event happens.”

The State Emergency Service has received 120 calls for assistance, with acting director Leon Smith warning rivers and tributaries will continue to rise overnight.

“There is still a large period of this event to go,” he said.

“There’s still a level of uncertainty in regards to the peaks. It’s expected this situation will be protracted even once the rain stops.”

Commercial operations at the port of Devonport have been suspended until Sunday, with the closure prompting the cancellation of four Bass Strait crossings by the Spirit of Tasmania ferry.

Victoria

Hundreds of Victorians were told to move to higher ground on Thursday night.

Emergency warnings have been issued for Rochester along the Campaspe River, Carisbrook near Maryborough, and Seymour along the Goulburn River, directing residents to immediately evacuate.

Major flooding is expected to inundate the Rochester area on Friday from 10am, with the river to peak in the afternoon.

An evacuation centre opened at the Echuca United Football Netball Club, and relief centres have been set up at Maryborough Sports and Leisure Centre and Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre.

A #MAJOR FLOOD WARNING has been issued for the #Campaspe River, where river levels are expected to exceed the Jan 2011 event.
See https://t.co/HLs2UYofag for details and updates; follow advice from @vicemergency @vicsesnews #VicFloods pic.twitter.com/5g7PWJm32e

— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) October 13, 2022

Emergency warnings have also been issued from Seven Creeks to Euroa and for the Campaspe River between Lake Eppalock and Barnadown.

Anyone in low-lying areas or close to a waterway has been told they are in danger and should move to higher ground immediately.

Authorities expect Shepparton to experience its worst flood in almost three decades on Saturday afternoon, with up to 600 properties isolated.

The State Emergency Service received more than 1600 calls for help and 10,000 people have been left without power since the wild weather began on Wednesday.

A #MAJOR FLOOD WARNING has been issued for Mt Emu Creek at #Skipton, where Major flooding is possible on Friday morning.
See https://t.co/Ildo3LabPi for details and updates;
follow advice from @vicemergency @vicsesnews #VicFloods pic.twitter.com/jWsggrAPs4

— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) October 13, 2022

The SES rescued 30 people by Thursday afternoon, including those driving through flood waters in rural areas.

No serious injuries have been reported to date.

Victorian SES Chief Operations Officer Tim Wiebusch said Seymour was facing its highest flood level since 1974.

“There is the potential for 187 properties to be inundated by floodwaters and a further 279 properties that could be isolated,” he told reporters on Thursday.

The Severe Weather Warning for Heavy Rainfall over #Victoria has been contracted to the NE, as a front slowly crosses.
Details are at: https://t.co/HLs2UYGooo pic.twitter.com/Bn87baEpii

— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) October 13, 2022

Echuca residents have been advised to boil drinking water until further notice after stormwater entered a storage tank.

Watch and act alerts have been issued for major flooding of multiple river systems, including Ovens and King rivers in north-east Victoria.

The Thompson Dam in Gippsland could overflow by the weekend and other catchments which have not spilt in decades are flooded.

Central and northern Victoria experienced the worst of the downpour, with more than 160mm recorded at Strathbogie and 145mm near Euroa.

The rains caused landslides at Separation Creek on the Great Ocean Road on Thursday and at Falls Creek in the alpine region on Wednesday.

Authorities are bracing for up to 700 properties in Rochester to be isolated by Friday and about one-third of those to have flooding above floor level.

A relief centre has been established at Echuca to support evacuated residents.

Bendigo Mayor Andrea Metcalf said the area was bracing for the severe flooding in Rochester to flow downstream, with several of its football and soccer fields already inundated by Thursday morning.

About 40 schools and early childhood learning centres across the state, including Seymour College and Kilmore’s Assumption College, closed on Thursday.

Regional transport has also been affected, with buses replacing trains between Albury and Seymour in both directions and all Melbourne-bound lanes of the Hume Highway closed between Benalla and Avenel.