Tasmania weather: Severe weather warnings issued for state as damaging winds forecast

Wind gusts of up to 100km/h and high tides well above normal levels are forecast for parts of the state on Tuesday, prompting the Bureau of Meteorology to issue severe weather warnings.

Windy conditions have been forecast for Tasmania on Tuesday. Picture: Windy.com

Tasmania will shiver through a cold front crossing the island early on Tuesday, with wind gusts of up to 100km/h and high tides well above normal levels forecast for parts of the state, forcing the Bureau of Meteorology to issue severe weather warnings.

A complex low pressure system in the Great Australian Bight is set to shift towards the North of Tasmania, bringing with it damaging north-westerly winds averaging 60-65km/h to King Island and northern parts of the North-West Coast from about midday.

These are projected to extend eastwards along the northern exposed parts of the coast on Tuesday afternoon and the Furneaux Islands in the evening, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said in a statement.

Damaging wind gusts of up to 100km/h are also possible, particularly associated with showers or isolated thunderstorms, according to the bureau.

Wind and rain are forecast across Tasmania on Tuesday, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing severe weather warnings. Picture: Richard Jupe

Winds are forecast to shift west to south-westerly and “abate in the wake of the frontal system” at King Island and the North-West Coast on Tuesday evening, the Central North and North-East, and the Furneaux Islands by early Wednesday.

Towns that could be affected by the wild weather in the North include Devonport, Burnie, Currie, Smithton, Whitemark, and Bridport.

Gales and elevated sea levels are expected in the South and abnormally high tides could lead to sea water flooding of low-lying coastal areas between Southport and the Tasman Peninsula, including parts of the Derwent River.

“These conditions may also affect Macquarie Harbour. Tides are likely to rise well above the normal high tide mark during Tuesday evening’s high tide with tides again rising above the normal high tide mark Wednesday evening,” the BOM said.

A severe weather warning for damaging winds has also been issued for parts of the South and West Coast, including Hobart, Dodges Ferry, New Norfolk, Dover, and Strahan.

Originally published as Tasmania weather: Severe weather warnings issued for state as damaging winds forecast