Tasmania braces through floods and intense rainfall in Hobart, East Coast

In the 24 hours to Friday afternoon, Mt Wellington, Nugent and Leslie Vale all reported more than 100 millimetres of rain, while Hobart has reported 85 millimetres.

Emergency services in the South of the state spent much of Friday managing burst rivulets and wild weather issues, which forced more than a dozen schools to close for the day. Hail was also reported in some areas as well as wind gusts of almost 90 kilometres an hour.

Tasmania Police received about 60 calls about water spilling over the roads, though the majority of those cases regarded flash flooding and the roads were cleared shortly after.

Senior meteorologist Simon Louis said the rainfall had been very heavy for those parts of the country.

"We've seen a month's worth of rainfall all fall at once," he said.

According to the Bureau, severe weather is being generated by a complex area of low pressure currently moving over Tasmania. The weather is expected to be mostly settled from Sunday onwards as the low moves away to the East.

Mr Louis added that the low pressure system was likely to move to the North-West and eventually to the North-East during Saturday.

According to TasNeworks, during Friday there were 11 power outages affecting 2482 customers - all centred in the South of the state.

The Bureau of Meteorology has also confirmed the risk of damaging northerly winds in the North East of the state, including the Furneaux Islands from Friday evening continuing overnight and into Saturday.

Meanwhile, SES acting director Leon Smith said the emergency service received 250 calls from Tasmanians seeking assistance.

"There were a lot of people who slept through the night and awoke to find water inundation in their homes," he added.

With wild weather expected to continue, Tasmania Police Commander Tim Dooley said drivers should take precautions on Saturday.

"If you're on the road, I'd encourage people to leave early so that they can allow additional time to travel, make sure that they keep their distance from other vehicles greater than you perhaps normally would," he said.

As of Friday evening, flood warnings remain in place for the Jordan River, Huon, Derwent, South Esk, and Macquarie. Flooding is also expected along the Coal River.

For emergency assistance or flood and storm-related emergency assistance, phone SES on 132 500. Dial Triple Zero (000) in a life-threatening emergency.

Severe weather is affecting the east and south parts of Tasmania with intense rainfall, damaging winds and thunderstorms lashing the state.

A severe weather warning remains in place for southeast Tasmania including the Huon Valley, greater Hobart area, along with parts of the East Coast.

The most dangerous weather is expected to be experienced on Friday morning, and will begin to ease over the afternoon.

SES acting director Leon Smith said emergency services had received about 30 calls for assistance overnight, including 15 due to water inundation.

"There continues to be a particular risk of moderate flooding in the Huon River, however other areas should not be complacent," Mr Smith said.

"SES crews and local police have been outdoor knocking residents, businesses, and caravan parks in the Huon area overnight to ensure they are prepared in the event of major flooding of the Huon River.

Roads affected by water include:

Mr Smith said residents in the Huon Valley and other flood prone areas should remain vigilant and keep up to date by checking BOM and SES websites for information.

"With thunderstorm activity currently being experienced in the greater Hobart area we may also expect flash flooding, so people are advised to remain alert," he said.

The weather event is persisting, and further wind and heavy rain is expected until this afternoon, and people are urged to be prepared and avoid unnecessary travel.

"In such adverse conditions, if you don't need to leave your home, don't do it," Mr Smith said.

SES and emergency services continue to have crews responding, on standby as well as a Regional and State Operations Centre stood up.

WEDNESDAY ADVICE: Very heavy rainfall is expected to develop across the South and East Coast this week, beginning on Thursday night.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Simon Lewis said the Tasmanian downpour looked set to persist until Saturday, with some of the heaviest falls expected to occur during the day on Friday.

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Mr Lewis said rainfall totals could reach over 100 millimetres in some parts of the state, and noted the wet weather may be accompanied by severe thunderstorms, bringing with them bursts of more intense rain.

"With that amount of rain, there is a potential risk of significant flash flooding or riverine flooding," he said.

"We could see damaging winds and there is also the potential for dangerous and large surf."

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Mr Lewis said the change in weather was due to a deep low-pressure system expected to develop near eastern Tasmania on Thursday before slowly moving away from the coast on Saturday.

Snowfall across high parts of the Central Plateau during Friday is also possible, with rain settling as snow above 1000 metres.

As a result of the expected severe weather, the SES urged Tasmanians to pay attention to the warnings and forecasts.

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Tasmania SES acting director Leon Smith said, in particular, people needed to prepare for the possibility of significant flash flooding and riverine flooding.

"For potential weather events like this it's important that people are prepared ... this means knowing your flood risk and understanding whether your street and home is prone to flash flooding," he said.

"There is also a high chance of trees coming down given the wind which may lead to power outages, so people need to be prepared and should exercise caution if they are out and about, especially when driving."

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Mr Smith reminded all Tasmanians who might come across floodwater while driving to never drive, walk, or ride through it.

"If the road is flooded, forget it," he said.