Almost all of the Murray Darling Basin will see some rain this week as a northwest cloudband sweeps across southeastern Australia. But for South Australia, damaging winds are on the way.

A northwest cloudband is simply a vast band of cloud that stretches across Australia from the northwest to southeast. These nationwide cloudbands are fuelled by moisture-laden air flowing over Australia from the tropical Indian Ocean.

This week’s cloudband has already caused widespread rain in parts of WA, SA and the NT. From today, the rain will spread further east, soaking soil in Victoria, Tasmania, NSW, the ACT and Queensland during the next 3-4 days.

The rain from this northwest cloudband typically favours inland areas of southeastern and eastern Australia. As a result, most of the Murray Darling Basin is expected to see some wet weather from this system.

Widespread falls of 5-20mm are likely over the Murray Darling Basin between Wednesday and Friday, with 50-80mm a good chance on and inland of the ranges in southern NSW and northeast Victoria. A flood watch has been issued for some catchments in North East Victoria.

Image: Forecast accumulated rain between Wednesday and Saturday this week, according to the ECMWF-HRES model.

In addition to the northwest cloudband, a strong mid-latitude low pressure system is also lurking near southern Australia.

This low will drive cold air, showers, thunderstorms and blustery winds across SA, Victoria, Tasmania and southern NSW between Wednesday afternoon and Friday.

Image: Forecast wind at 7pm AEST on Wednesday, according to the ECMWF-HRES model.

A severe weather warning has been issued for damaging winds and abnormally high tides in parts of SA for from afternoon into tomorrow, including Adelaide and the Mt Lofty Ranges. Check the latest warnings in your state for the latest information as this weather event unfolds.