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Renewed flooding threat for Victoria, NSW

Watch the weather bureau's forecast

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Victorian communities are bracing for another potential flood emergency while NSW residents have also been warned to prepare for a “dangerous” weekend.

The southern state’s northeast is expected to face the brunt of the threat on Sunday, with damaging winds and widespread showers and storms which are likely to cause moderate to major flooding.

Up to 90 millimetres of rain is forecast for some areas.

Heavy rain and large hailstones are also a possibility for the rest of Victoria, with parts of Melbourne and riverine communities at risk of flash flooding.

More than 50 emergency alerts are in place across the state, with a major flood warning for the Murray River.

It’s feared water could rise to about the same level as the devastating 1975 floods in low-lying areas along the Murray such as Mildura, Robinvale, Boundary Bend and Wakool Junction.

The Hume Dam is at 96 per cent capacity, prompting authorities to release 95 gigalitres per day.

Cooler air will start to extend across Victoria into next week, leading to colder temperatures in Melbourne and snow returning to some of the state’s alpine peaks.

Forecasters expect above average rainfall in Victoria to persist for another six to eight weeks.

Authorities in NSW warn flood-prone communities should brace for a dangerous weekend, with rainfall and thunderstorms widely expected.

“This rainfall is combining with already saturated catchments and full river systems which will unfortunately lead to more flooding across many parts,” NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York said on Friday.

“We are expecting renewed minor to major flooding to levels experienced over the last few weeks.”

Major flood warnings are active for the Barwon, Darling, Macquarie, Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, Murray, Bogan, Namoi, Narran and Culgoa rivers.

More than 90 hazard alerts are current across the state, with evacuation orders in place for central western Condobolin, Collarenebri in the northwest and the Alice Edwards Village at Bourke in the far northwest.

The SES has cautioned people to watch out for landslips and falling trees, with some areas expecting flash flooding from short bursts of rain.

The federal government’s one-off disaster recovery payment scheme was extended to another five NSW local government areas on Friday.

People living in Cootamundra-Gundagai, Forbes, Liverpool Plains, the Snowy Valleys and Upper Lachlan are eligible to apply for $1000 per adult and $400 per child.

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