Inspector Doug Rossiter, of the South-East Division, said that there are a number of road closures currently in place, including the Tasman Highway between Orford and Runnymede, the Tasman Highway at Bicheno just north of Apsley River and the Tasman Highway north of Swansea at Meredith River.

“Please check road closures before you set out and avoid any roads that are flooded or affected by water,” Inspector Rossiter said.

“Driving in wet conditions can be dangerous. Use your headlights, allow enough time to safely reach your destination and allow sufficient distance between your car and the car in front of you.

“Always drive to the conditions.”

For up-to-date information about road closures go to the Community Alerts section of the Tasmania Police website: http://www.police.tas.gov.au/community-alerts.

The State Emergency Service's Southern team has so far received 23 requests for assistance on Friday.

Those requests have been sent from residents of the East Coast, near Bicheno, down Hobart, due to flash flooding.

 ``Water inundation into businesses and houses has occurred, water over roads is also being reported. The State Emergency Service advises that information received about current weather conditions indicate that over the next few days there will continue to be significant rainfalls down the East Coast,'' an SES statement said.

Police have also advised that roads have been cut by flooding in the Orford area.

UPDATE 2pm: A BOULDER has fallen onto the Cataract Gorge walking path that leads onto the Zig-Zag Track.

The Launceston City Council sent out an alert on social media about the hazard on Friday afternoon.

``Cataract Walk is closed after rains last night dislodged a large boulder onto the track,'' the statement read.

``We are onsite now and will remove the boulder and undertake an inspection of the cliffs. We will advise when the track is open again as soon as we can confirm the area is safe.

UPDATE 12pm: A FLOOD warning has been issued for the North and North-East.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued the warning at 11.12am on Friday morning.

``Moderate flooding is expected to develop throughout the upper reaches of the South Esk river about Fingal late Friday evening,'' a statement read.

``Daily rainfall totals in the range of 40 to 220 mm were observed in the South Esk river catchment to 9am Friday. Additional 50 to 80mm may occur in the next 24 hours, with higher totals possible about elevated areas.''

UPDATE 11am: ANOTHER severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Tasmania - this time in the state's south and East Coast.

The Bureau of Meteorology said heavy rain and large hail stones were likely on Friday afternoon for the state's far North-East, all the way down to Bruny Island.

Locations which may be affected include Scottsdale, Hobart, St Helens, Swansea, Orford and Richmond. 

The North and North-West - which was battered by heavy rain and lightning on Thursday night - has not been included in the warning.

UPDATE 9am: POLICE have advised that the Tasman Highway at Bicheno may be particularly dangerous for motorists on Friday morning.

The most concerning area is two kilometres north of the Coles Bay turn-off, a community alert stated.

UPDATE 7am: NORTHERN residents have awoken to flooding on Friday morning.

The overnight downpour also saw a landslide on the Southern Outlet, South Launceston, Tasmania Police said.

Both lanes are open this morning, however.

``Police advise road users to be aware of Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) bulletins, and any warnings for their area,'' a police statement read.

``All road users should take care and drive to the conditions.''

BOM has issued several warning for Tasmania on Friday.

A severe weather warning is current for the Central North, North-East and East Coast districts.

More thunderstorms could lead to more flash flooding, the bureau has warned.

Rain is expected to increase in the northeast and east during the morning.

Since 9am on Thursday, Gray and Strathbridge have recorded 105mm, Meander 91mm, Launceston and Deloraine 85mm.

A marine wind warning is also current for across the state. That will likely remain in place until midnight.

EARLIER: FLASH flooding forced the closure of a raft of roads, parts of highways and city streets in Northern Tasmania on Thursday evening, with severe thunderstorms then rolling  south towards Hobart.

All northbound lanes of the Southern Outlet in Launceston, the city’s main arterial road, were shut down after a deluge of heavy rain.

‘‘Everybody’s just got to use extreme caution, keep a lookout for floodwaters over the roads, and if you don’t have to drive anywhere, don’t drive anywhere,’’ a Tasmania Police spokesman said.

He said many more streets in Launceston and outlying areas had been closed, with police and SES officers responding to a heavy volume of calls for assistance.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning at 9.15pm spanning half the island state, with heavy rain tipped to hit Hobart as well as the entire north-east and east coasts.

Earlier in the day, the manager of Longford’s Blenheim Inn Hotel Anthony Kirkwood said a deluge of rain and ‘‘golf-ball sized’’ hailstones had hit the town about 3pm.

‘‘We were inside here at the Blenheim and they just started rattling on the roof,’’ Mr Kirkwood said.

‘‘It started off small and then stopped, and then all of a sudden down they come and rattled the roof and windows, bouncing off the concrete and coming into the bottle shop.’’

Thunderstorms caused flash-flooding on the North-West coast, seeing some businesses closing early on Thursday.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Malcolm Riley said the North-West coast received the most rainfall on Thursday, with Launceston and surrounding areas only receiving about 5 millimetres in half an hour.

‘‘Not in our gauges but in third party gauges, we had in some places [on the North-West coast] millimetres in the low twenties in about an hour,’’ Mr Riley said.

‘‘From about Wynyard almost to Devonport, into the Sheffield area, they got quite a good fall of rain very quickly, in the vicinity of 10 to 20 millimetres in probably about half an hour.’’

Mr Riley said the North-East would be hit hardest in coming days, with around 50 to 100 millimetres of rain predicted for Friday in some areas.

The State Emergency Service and Tasmania Police have advised the following actions for those in affected areas:

■Supervise children closely

■Check that family and neighbours are aware of warnings

■Manage pets and livestock

■Be prepared in case of power outages

■Clear drains and gutters on premises prior to severe weather arriving

■Do not walk, ride or drive through flood waters.

For more advice, listen to ABC radio or check www.ses.tas.gov.au.