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National

Weather warnings for Tasmania as severe thunderstorm brings flooding to Hobart, power outages and school closures

City platypus wanders the paths near swollen rivulet in South Hobart

A severe thunderstorm has swept through parts of Tasmania, leading to power outages, school closures and roads flooding as rivulets around Hobart broke their banks.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) cancelled its severe thunderstorm warning for the Western and Upper Derwent Valley and the South East late in the morning.

A furious downpour and lightning strikes eased off in Hobart around 8am.

There are still minor and moderate flood warnings for rivers around the state — the South Esk River, Macquarie River, River Derwent, Jordan River, Coal River and the Huon River.

Police said there were dozens of reports of road inundation at the height of the storm, but only "half a dozen" roads were still closed by Friday afternoon.

There were five "minor" car crashes during the storm and three reports of trees across roads, Police Commander Tim Dooley said.

A car in floodwaters outside Eastlands shopping centre, in Hobart's east. (Supplied: Amanda Langer)
A man stands in the tray of the ute and makes a phone call. (Supplied: Patrick Barker)
Flooding across the road outside Huonville. (ABC News: James Dunlevie)

The Education Department closed 11 schools, including in South Hobart, Blackmans Bay, Kingston and Huonville.

Montagu Bay Primary posted on its Facebook page that it was closed due to "no power" while Rose Bay High School is closed due to water damage.

Commander Dooley said he understood the affected schools did not receive significant damage and would reopen on Monday.

Flooding across Hobart and southern Tasmania this morning.
The storm caused flooding over roads at Cambridge, north-east of Hobart. (Supplied: Pear Sangroong)
Backyards in Hobart have flooded as heavy rain falls on the south of the state. (ABC News: Matthew Growcott)
The Huon River was swollen this morning but there is a warning for flooding this afternoon as water flows down the system. (ABC News: James Dunlevie)

Lightning strikes command centre

The SES said it received more than 250 calls for help overnight into Friday, including for water inundation.

"'After 4am this morning we thought we'd actually dodged a bit of a bullet to tell you the truth, until the thunderstorms started to eventuate," SES acting director Leon Smith said.

"In addition to that, upon people starting to get out of bed and with the realisation of what had impacted their homes overnight, that's when the number of calls increased.

Lightning also struck the SES regional operations centre and that "took the centre out", losing power for a period of time, Mr Smith said.

Jay Ràd at Penna, north-east of Hobart, can't leave his home. (Supplied: Jay Ràd)
The New Town rivulet this morning. (ABC News: Loretta Lohberger)

Pedestrian crossing road dies

A pedestrian was killed on Thursday night while crossing Main Road in Claremont, in Hobart's north, while it was raining.

A car hit the 81-year-old man about 9:15pm and the driver remained at the scene, police said.

Anyone who saw the man walking in the area at the time has been urged to contact Glenorchy Police.

About 3,000 households were without power at the height of the storm, TasNetworks reported.

A generator failure on Mount Wellington took out many commercial radio stations on Friday morning but ABC Radio Hobart, which is on a separate generator, was still transmitting.

The heaviest rainfalls were in the state's south-east overnight. (ABC News: Matthew Growcott)
Police on scene in Rosny, Hobart, as floods force road closures. (ABC News: Matthew Growcott)

'Volatile situation' as storm moves

The heaviest rainfalls were in the south-east overnight into Friday, with 120 millimetres recorded at Mount Wellington being the highest, followed by Nugent at 96 millimetres and Triabunna 90 millimetres.

"The rainfall was caused by a low-pressure system that developed over the east coast of Tasmania overnight, that low is still in the area and is going to remain over Tasmania during all of today," BOM senior meteorologist Simon Louis said.

Risdon Road was closed off this morning due to the rivulet breaking its banks. (ABC News: Loretta Lohberger)
Flooding at Wentworth Park in Howrah. (ABC News: Matthew Growcott)

Mr Louis said the heaviest rainfall had now passed for most of the state.

"But as that low moves around today, we will see rainfall developing in the north-west during this afternoon and then the rainfall focus will shift to the north-east of the state and Furneaux islands overnight tonight with some moderate falls up there," he said.

Hobart can expect a "windy and showery day" on Saturday, he said.

Comparing the storm to the Hobart 2018 floods, Mr Louis said it was the "same sort of line of thunderstorms that caused that" but there was less rainfall this time.

Overnight, the State Emergency Service received hundreds of calls for assistance. (ABC News: Selina Ross)
Heavy rainfall overnight has resulted in flooding. (ABC News: Selina Ross)

People have been advised to avoid driving or walking in floodwaters, to seek shelter indoors and to be aware of fallen trees and powerlines.

Keep up to date with the latest warnings at ABC Emergency.

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