Riverine flooding occurs when heavy rainfall causes relatively high water levels in rivers or creeks to overtop the banks. The magnitude of a flood is determined by the amount of rainfall that has fallen in the catchment, its duration and its spatial distribution. Floodplain is defined as the area adjacent to a river or creek that is inundated by flood waters and which covers an extent related to the magnitude of the flood. Riverine flooding is one of the major natural disasters in the NT. Several communities and towns are prone to riverine flooding. It also restricts access to some communities and towns from days to weeks.
Northern Territory Weather and Warnings - link to The Bureau of Meteorology
Surface water is water above ground in lakes, waterholes, rivers, wetlands and dams. They are both a natural resource and potential hazard to human activity. Learn everything about surface water from the basics to Telemetered Gauging Stations.
The Natural Systems Division of NRETAS operates and maintains a network of telemetered gauging stations primarily for the purpose of providing flood forecasting advice. These gauging stations are connected to the telephone network and provide near-real-time river heights and rainfall.
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