Don’t let the clement afternoon fool you, Melbourne.

“We’re going to see a significant rain event beginning tomorrow and pushing into Thursday,” Premier Daniel Andrews said in a press conference today.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has just released a flood-watch warning for parts of Victoria, with significantly heavy rainfall set to lash the state this week.

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The BOM is predicting the worst of the rainfall will occur in the north of the state on Thursday, but it will begin sweeping across Victoria tomorrow. Falls of between 20 and 50 millimetres are expected.

“On Thursday, flash flooding is likely to be an issue in many parts of the state including in our urban areas,” said Tim Wiebusch, chief officer of the Victoria State Emergency Service. “We don’t want to see cars with people on roofs at York Street and Dudley Street and all those locations that are known hotspots around Melbourne.”

Major flooding is likely in some catchments, especially those that are already extremely full. Currently in place are moderate flood warnings for the Avoca and Loddon rivers, and minor floods warnings for the Kiewa and Snowy rivers. And an initial flood-watch warning has been announced for northern and parts of southern Victoria.

“Our emergency services are ready – we need Victorians to be ready too. Create an emergency plan, keep updated with the latest advice and make sure you’ve got a support network to keep safe,” Andrews said.

Victorians in flood-risk areas are urged to ensure they have enough supplies to last up to 72 hours.

Keep up to date via Vic Emergency and Vic Traffic. If you need assistance, call VICSES on 132 500; if you are in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000).

bom.gov.au/vic