Victoria's Riverine Towns On High Alert With More Rain On The Way

Communities in Victoria's riverine towns wait with bated breath as the state's flooding crisis unfolds.

Rainfalls of 10-30mm were recorded around the state over the weekend, with Echuca and Kerang taking another hit.

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The Bureau of Meteorology's senior meteorologist Kevin Parkin on Monday said that while a severe weather warning for the state has been cancelled, humid conditions mean that thunderstorms could still develop.

"That will produce very localised falls of 30-60mm," he said. "If it does, those local heavy falls will result in flash flooding, overland flash flooding, not just in the river systems."

The warning comes as the Murray River continues to rise, surpassing the flood levels recorded in October 1993, prompting residents in parts of Echuca to remain on high alert.

Victoria's SES chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch on Monday warned the Murray River could still edge high.

"We're now seeing the Murray River at Echuca at a peak of around 94.89 [metres]. There's still a little bit to go, is what the bureau is saying to us. It could go up to 95 metres throughout the day today," he said.

"But it’s intended to stay steady at that level for several days before we’ll start to see it receding in and around Echuca," he added.

Meantime, the Loddon River over the weekend peaked at 77.97 metres on Saturday morning, before starting to recede despite 10-25 millimetres of rainfall overnight in north and north-western parts of the state.

Emergency authorities are still urging residents in and around Kerang to evacuate the area, with floodwaters still dangerous and major flooding expected to stick around for the coming days.

While residents in Shepparton, Mooroopna and Kialla West continue their clean up, with emergency services"confident" water levels have peaked in the area.

October’s rainfall for Victoria is likely to be one of the 10th wettest on record. 

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