Victorian authorities are defending the timing of warnings for holidaymakers along Victoria's surf coast who were hit by an unprecedented downpour on Thursday, as Sydney awaits its soggiest weekend of summer to date.
The Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines said it would be a "very wet weekend" across eastern New South Wales, with heavy showers and thunderstorms predicted for the Illawarra and Sydney districts on Saturday. This has raised concerns among residents, who are also bracing themselves for severe winds expected to make fighting bushfires in Victoria even more challenging.
However, Victorian authorities have argued that warnings were issued in a timely manner. The emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, said the first triple zero call reporting flash flooding was at 1.08pm on Thursday, and then again at 1.20pm when cars were being washed away - about 30 minutes after the Bureau of Meteorology upgraded its warning.
Despite concerns over the effectiveness of warnings, Wiebusch believed they were "adequate...and as timely as they could be". He cited an unprecedented weather event that caught everyone off guard, with heavy rain pouring down on the Wye River and Lorne causing widespread flash flooding. About 600 people were temporarily displaced due to the floods.
However, it seems that the warnings may not have reached holidaymakers in time, according to comments from Colac mayor Jason Schram, who criticized the level of warnings given to those staying in caravan parks. He stated that the city received an astonishing amount of rain - 180mm - causing damage and flooding across multiple rivers.
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted significant flash flooding along the Illawarra and south coast of NSW between Thursday afternoon and Saturday night, with "disruption and delays to travel and transport" expected due to heavy rainfall. Meanwhile in Victoria, authorities are still battling large bushfires, with about 100 roads closed and over 1,000 structures damaged or destroyed.
The recent extreme weather has raised concerns about the country's vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters, according to a report from the Insurance Council of Australia. The World Meteorological Organisation has also warned that temperatures in 2025 continued its three-year streak of "extraordinary global temperatures" with surface air temperatures averaging 1.48C above preindustrial levels.
The Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines said it would be a "very wet weekend" across eastern New South Wales, with heavy showers and thunderstorms predicted for the Illawarra and Sydney districts on Saturday. This has raised concerns among residents, who are also bracing themselves for severe winds expected to make fighting bushfires in Victoria even more challenging.
However, Victorian authorities have argued that warnings were issued in a timely manner. The emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, said the first triple zero call reporting flash flooding was at 1.08pm on Thursday, and then again at 1.20pm when cars were being washed away - about 30 minutes after the Bureau of Meteorology upgraded its warning.
Despite concerns over the effectiveness of warnings, Wiebusch believed they were "adequate...and as timely as they could be". He cited an unprecedented weather event that caught everyone off guard, with heavy rain pouring down on the Wye River and Lorne causing widespread flash flooding. About 600 people were temporarily displaced due to the floods.
However, it seems that the warnings may not have reached holidaymakers in time, according to comments from Colac mayor Jason Schram, who criticized the level of warnings given to those staying in caravan parks. He stated that the city received an astonishing amount of rain - 180mm - causing damage and flooding across multiple rivers.
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted significant flash flooding along the Illawarra and south coast of NSW between Thursday afternoon and Saturday night, with "disruption and delays to travel and transport" expected due to heavy rainfall. Meanwhile in Victoria, authorities are still battling large bushfires, with about 100 roads closed and over 1,000 structures damaged or destroyed.
The recent extreme weather has raised concerns about the country's vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters, according to a report from the Insurance Council of Australia. The World Meteorological Organisation has also warned that temperatures in 2025 continued its three-year streak of "extraordinary global temperatures" with surface air temperatures averaging 1.48C above preindustrial levels.
. like, how do u even warn ppl when it's a whole other level of bad weather than expected? the rain just poured down like crazy! shouldn't they've issued more clear warnings earlier tho?
I don't get why they're defending the timing of those warnings, mate. It's like, yeah we knew it was gonna be wet and stormy on Thursday, but come on, an extra 30 minutes isn't exactly a lot of time to find shelter, you know? Those holidaymakers were literally caught off guard by flash flooding... it's just not right that they weren't given more notice. And what really gets me is how we're still dealing with bushfires and severe winds in Victoria while Sydney's bracing itself for its soggiest weekend on record 
The fact remains that a significant number of holidaymakers were not adequately warned, which is a concerning oversight. I mean, 180mm of rain in one city - that's just staggering! The lack of preparedness might be due to the unpredictability of the weather event, but it raises questions about the effectiveness of emergency management systems in place. We need to consider the long-term implications of climate change on our infrastructure and disaster response strategies. It's also interesting to note that this extreme weather is being predicted by multiple organizations - isn't that a wake-up call? 
so like what's going on here? they're saying warnings were issued in time but apparently not enough people got 'em or somethin'? 
. i'm all for bein' prepared but come on, can't we just have some sunshine and normal weather for once? 
. The authorities say it was an unexpected event, but that's kinda the point of having weather alerts in place - to catch those surprises 
. The fact is, 180mm of rain hit Colac in one day, that's crazy! We need better systems to warn us about impending disasters, especially when we have tourists in caravan parks who might not be aware of the risks 
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Maybe if more holidaymakers knew about the flooding in advance, some could've left earlier or taken precautions 
!
with heavy showers and thunderstorms expected on saturday. but did you know that temps in australia are averaging 1.48c above pre-industrial levels since 2022? crazy! 
also, didn't know that 600 people were temporarily displaced due to the floods in victoria last week...that's just devastating 
. and btw, the insurance council of australia says our country is getting more vulnerable to climate change with events like this happening more often 
stats time! here are some fun facts:
anyways, hoping everyone stays safe and dry this weekend! 
It's just frustrating when you've got your whole weekend ruined by bad weather 
. Like, who doesn't know when it's gonna rain that hard? 
The timing of those warnings might be iffy, but 600 people displaced due to flash flooding is major 
. The country needs to step up its game on climate change and disaster preparedness, imo 
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The fact that 600 people were displaced due to the floods is just heartbreaking 
. And now we're expecting another 2 days of heavy rain and thunderstorms in Sydney?! It's like, can't we just have one decent weekend without getting caught out by Mother Nature? 
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. like how do u even measure rain that heavy? anywayz, climate change is no joke, and nats disasters r gettin more intense by the year 
. i think they shdve b more proactive & transparent wiv the pubic. wat if somethin serious happens & nobody knows bout it till its too late? 
It's just crazy to think about how fast weather patterns can change... anyway, hope everyone in NSW is staying dry (and safe) this weekend 
I'm surprised they didn't get more warnings, considering how unpredictable the weather was. It's not like the Bureau of Meteorology doesn't have a good track record of predicting storms and flooding events. The fact that they still managed to warn people a bit later seems like a pretty standard response time for an emergency situation 
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