Melbourne · River catchment
Maribyrnong River flood warnings and rain forecast
The Maribyrnong drains the Macedon Ranges and Melbourne's north-west, joining the Yarra at Yarraville. It responds to long, heavy rain over its whole catchment, which is what drove the October 2022 flood.
Maribyrnong River flood watches and warnings
No flood watches, flood warnings or flooding incidents are listed by VicEmergency for the Maribyrnong River and its creeks, as of . A Bureau of Meteorology weather warning for heavy rain or flash flooding also covers this area.
| Level | Warning or incident | Area | Updated | Next update |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOM warning | Severe Weather Warning for Heavy Rainfall | Central, East Gippsland, South West and West and South Gippsland | – |
In a life-threatening emergency call 000. For flood or storm help call the VicSES on 132 500. Never drive, ride or walk through floodwater. VicEmergency Hotline: 1800 226 226.
Source: VicEmergency public data feed, © State of Victoria, Australia, used under CC BY 3.0 AU (data notice). Last update received by Atmosphr ; feed last updated . Checked every 10 minutes. Bureau of Meteorology warnings are shown by title only and link to the Bureau. Atmosphr is not an emergency service: always check the linked official page before acting.
Rain outlook across the Maribyrnong catchment
Model rain totals at points along the Maribyrnong River, for the past 24 hours and the next three days.
| Place | Past 24 h (model) | Next 24 h | Next 72 h | Highest hourly chance, 72 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunbury (Jacksons Creek) | 26 mm | 25 mm | 29 mm | 100% |
| Keilor (lower river) | 22 mm | 22 mm | 25 mm | 98% |
Model forecast Open-Meteo best match via Open-Meteo (Weather data by Open-Meteo, Open-Meteo API terms (CC BY 4.0)), retrieved and refreshed hourly. "Past 24 h" is the model's estimate, not a rain gauge reading. Model rain is a guide to the size of an event, not a flood forecast: official flood warnings come from the Bureau of Meteorology and VicSES.
About the Maribyrnong River
- About 40 km long from the junction of Jacksons Creek and Deep Creek below Taylors Lakes, with a catchment of about 1,450 km².
- Its headwaters rise in the Macedon Ranges, about 60 km north-west of Melbourne's centre.
- Flows past Keilor, Avondale Heights, Essendon West, Maribyrnong and Footscray before joining the Yarra.
- Melbourne Water notes that water takes time to travel through the catchment, so longer rain events tend to bring the highest peaks downstream.
Past floods
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Sep 1906 | The highest flood recorded on the Maribyrnong floodplain (Melbourne Water). |
| Sep 1916 | Second highest recorded at the Maribyrnong township, at 4.26 m. |
| May 1974 | The flood that did the most damage to homes, industry and utilities, as the city had grown onto the floodplain. |
| 14 Oct 2022 | Peaked at 4.22 m, the third highest on record and above 1974, after 48 hours of rain on an already very wet catchment. Parts of Maribyrnong, Kensington and West Melbourne were inundated. |
Official information
- Melbourne Water: Maribyrnong River flood review
- BOM: Victorian river heights and flood warnings
- VicEmergency: warnings and incidents map
- VicSES flood and storm help: 132 500. Emergency: 000.
What to do in a flood
- Follow the advice on the official VicEmergency warning for your area, and leave early if you are told to.
- Never drive, ride or walk through floodwater. It is often deeper and faster than it looks and can hide washed-out roads.
- Keep children and pets away from drains, creeks and stormwater channels.
- For flood or storm help call the VicSES on 132 500. In a life-threatening emergency call 000.
- Prepare with the VicSES flood guides, and check BOM river heights for gauges near you.
Sources
Warnings from the VicEmergency public data feed, © State of Victoria, Australia, under the EMV emergency data notice (CC BY 3.0 AU), listed by name and time with links to the official warning. River facts: Melbourne Water fact sheet: Maribyrnong River flood event, Maribyrnong River (Wikipedia).
Other Melbourne catchments: Yarra River · Dandenong Creek.