The Easter long weekend has come to a soggy end in Victoria with steady rainfall across most of the state on Monday.
The rain puts an end to a warm and sunny weekend in the state, and is not forecast to dry up until Wednesday. But it is not expected to be heavy enough to do any damage.
“It’s steady rainfall so we’re not expecting any flooding,” Chris Arvier, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said. “There will be a slight chance that we could see some river rises in Gippsland but at this stage it is a very low risk.”
The biggest falls were recorded in the Macedon Ranges on Monday, with totals of 27mm overnight at Bullarto South and 26mm at Trentham Reservoir.
🌧️🌧️🌧️ A wet Easter Monday....
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) April 17, 2022
Widespread falls of 15-20mm across central #Victoria and the #Wimmera overnight, with more on the way!
Trentham has recorded the most rain so far, with 26mm to 9am this morning. 13mm has been recorded in the #Melbourne city gauge.#VicWeather pic.twitter.com/TRrPH4OdzX
Victoria experienced a warm Easter Sunday with temperatures reaching 28C in Melbourne and other parts of the state, but the mercury dropped as the cold front arrived on Sunday night.
The rain has come from a low pressure system that has moved across central Australia. Arvier said the rain would be welcomed by farmers.
“It’s definitely a very different sort of system that is bringing this rain to Victoria than what we have seen along the east coast of Australia over summer and in recent months,” Arvier said.
“This is a pretty typical autumn rain event. It is good news for the farming community, who do rely on the autumn rainfall to kick off the growing season. It’s a nice amount, nice steady rainfall, and not enough to cause problems.”
In Stawell, in western Victoria, the rain has not dented enthusiasm for the Stawell Gift, the oldest and richest footrace in Australia.
“People are damply running on,” organiser Stephanie Spence said.
“ The rain makes the track a little bit softer. Most people can run well on a fast hard track but a softer track is more of a challenge.”
The finals of the race are held on Easter Monday each year. Spencer said the 2022 event felt like a return to normality, after a limited event under Covid-19 protocols last year.
Risk of flooding continues in NSW
The flood risk has not passed in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, despite lighter falls over the Easter long weekend.
The movement of floodwaters from Queensland into NSW has caused the Culgoa, Birrie, Bokhara and Narran rivers to rise, with minor flooding along the Culgoa at Brenda, Weilmoringle and Kenebree.
The Birrie River at Goodooga is also at risk of minor flooding, and there is moderate flooding along the Narran River at New Angledool, with the possibility of major flooding next week as more water moves into the system.
Flood peaks in the Pardoo River at Hungerford in Queensland are also expected to flow into NSW, causing minor flooding at Willara Crossing.
The Barwon River at Mungindi is also flooding, with waters expected to peak at 6.6 metres, just below the moderate flood level of 6.7 metres, on Friday night.
The lower Condamine and Balonne rivers in Queensland are still in flood, with major flooding at Surat, where the Balonne is expected to peak at 9.2 metres on Monday.
