Hobart is experiencing severe flooding -- here's what the chaos looks like

Daniella Brandy
Twitter/@notoriusrfg

Hobart residents experienced severe flooding this morning due to a low-pressure system called a “polar frost” or “vortex” sweeping across the south of Australia.

It’s caused a big drop in temperatures, icy winds, and increased rainfall.

That has lead to absolute chaos in Australia’s southernmost capital city. Cars have been swept down the street and some buildings have been almost completely submerged.

Thousands of residents have major damage to their properties, and are without power.

Schools have been closed for the day, some employers have advised workers to stay home, and locals are being advised to avoid unnecessary travel.

A severe weather warning will remain in place for most of the day, with damaging winds of up to 100km/h blowing around the city.

Here’s a look at the scene in Hobart.

Late last night, the floodwaters swelled in the rivulet up near Mount Wellington, which subsequently broke the banks and travelled down to lower-lying areas of Hobart.


Late last night, cars were submerged under quickly-flowing floodwaters.

A car park in the city is almost completely submerged.

This video of flooding in the University of Tasmania Sandy Bay campus is something out of a horror movie.

This morning, things were not much better. Parts of the city are still drowning.

Residents saw the full devastation and damage to their homes this morning. The flooding caused a massive hole to open in this Twitter user’s front porch.

Water damage has affected many other properties in the area.

This is one reason why schools were closed today. The footbridge to a local high school is dangerously close to floodwaters, and is strewn with debris.

10 minutes north-west of Hobart in Lenah Valley, a car sits half-submerged.

Taroona is about a 15-minute drive south of Hobart. This fish farm washed up on the beach there, and is floating in the water unanchored. You can see it floating around in the video.

This storage facility in Lutana is about a 15-minute drive north of Hobart, and is half underwater.

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