Canberra - Flood watch alert on Friday has been issued to much of Australia's state of Victoria, as the remnant of Cyclone Yasi begins to affect the state's weather.
Cyclone Yasi, a category five storm, struck Queensland early on Thursday morning 1 am (AEST), delivering 290km/h winds and raging seas. More than 170 000 properties are still without power across north Queensland.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) predicted the remnant of the destructive cyclone will cause widespread rain in Victoria over the weekend.
Showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected to dump between 20mm and 50mm across Victoria on Friday, with only the southwest and southeast corners of the state not at risk of flash flooding.
The biggest concerns are for Saturday, when up to 200mm is forecast for in the eastern ranges near Mt Buller and Falls Creek, and widespread falls of 50 to 100mm are expected across the state.
Ex-Cyclone Anthony has already dumped up to 65mm of rain in north of Victoria over the past 24 hours, and the remnants of Cyclone Yasi, which will be felt by Victorians from Friday, will add moisture and further floods to the Victorian locals.
BoM forecaster Peter Newham said the severe thunderstorms could cause flash flooding in parts of Victoria on Friday.
"Today it's localised heavy showers and thunderstorms that could lead to flash flooding on a localised scale," Newham told Herald Sun on Friday.
In addition, Newham said the shower will cause riverine-type flooding starting from Saturday onwards.
"It's a very significant rain event and the tropical moisture that has come down in the last two or three days after Cyclone Anthony crossed the coast, and we have very high humidity."
State Emergency Service north-west regional manager, Graeme Poulton, said people in towns hit by floods last month and in September need to be on alert again.
