The flood warning network
Floods are a natural part of Australia's ecosystem. They can also bring deadly risk to communities and the economy.
Floods affect large parts of Australia and present complex challenges. That's why all levels of government work together to develop, maintain and deliver the national flood warning system.
We don't rely on any one observing system for our forecasts and warnings as all equipment can be vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. Rain and river gauges are part of a broad observation network used to generate forecasts and warnings, and provide continuous situational awareness for meteorologists, flood forecasters, emergency services and the community.
Our forecasters draw on a suite of observing and forecasting tools, including satellite imagery, weather radar data, surface rainfall observations and river height observations. This multilayered approach helps maintain continuity of service during severe weather events.
Understanding how much rain has fallen and the changing height of rivers are key inputs to the flood warning system. These are measured with a large network of rain and river gauges. Across Australia, there are more than 10,000 gauges. About one-third are owned by the Bureau.
Ownership and operation of the flood gauge network and data systems is complex. More than 150 organisations are involved in managing them, with arrangements varying across states and territories.
Operating and maintaining flood warning infrastructure, including the ingestion and use of data is a big job. Much of the equipment is in remote locations and can be challenging to access for service or repair. Under the terms of a 2018 Council of Australian Government (COAG) agreement, this repair is the responsibility of the gauge owners.
Find out more about the locations of rain and river gauges and who owns them in the Australian water data service national flood gauge network.
The Bureau's role in the flood warning network
The Bureau provides riverine flood forecasting and warning services across parts of Australia and uses the flood warning network to support this function.
We own approximately one- third of the gauges we rely on to deliver these services. The rest are owned by local, state and territory governments, and private organisations. The Bureau's gauges are online and operating as required 96% of the time.
Our flood forecasting and warning services are set out in Service level specifications for floods.
Rainfall and river level data are freely available through maps, tables and plots (river heights only) published on our website.
We publish data from all gauges in the flood warning network, including those we don't own or maintain. This allows emergency services and the community to access the latest data to understand flood risk.
While rain and river gauges can provide real-time situational awareness, if there's a warning in place but you can't see local rainfall and river level data, always follow the warning.
Due to its sheer size, scale and complexity, the flood warning network is always changing. For example, gauges can be damaged by flood waters or debris and stop providing data to the network.
Improving the flood warning network
In 2023 the Australian Government committed up to $236 million over 10 years to help the Bureau upgrade and maintain parts of Australia's flood warning network.
We're working to simplify ownership and maintenance of key flood warning infrastructure across Australia.
The Bureau along with state and territory governments assessed Australia's flood warning catchments to see what the program could deliver. Funding was provided for some high-priority sites in high-priority catchments.
The funding allows us to acquire, upgrade and maintain flood gauges at around 1,600 sites currently owned by local and state governments. It also allows the automation of some of our manual sites.
We are working with local government in the prioritisation and selection of sites. Their local knowledge and awareness of community needs help the Bureau select sites for acquisition and upgrade.
We're also improving communication networks and supporting software in priority catchments.
The aim is to ensure Australia has a modern and reliable flood warning network to support flood forecasting and warning.
This work began in Queensland, where the flood risk and annual flood damage are highest. Queensland also has the highest number of council-owned sites.
You can view regular updates about our flood warning network upgrades.
Flood network automation
We're upgrading some of our infrastructure that supports flood warning services. We're improving the hardware and software that underpin the flood and weather warning data.
Focusing on high-priority sites, this includes upgrading:
- 200 of our rain, creek and river gauges from manual to automatic
- data transmission infrastructure and software at 182 sites.
The new automated systems will improve safety for volunteer observers during severe weather, replacing the current reliance on manual gauge readings. We acknowledge the important role our volunteers provide and are automating to ensure we can receive the data consistently, sustainably and when it matters most.
For more information about floods visit our flood knowledge centre.
For information on flood and river gauges visit: Flood and river gauges