Severe weather warning for parts of the Riverina as storms bring heavy rain

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for parts of the Riverina, with rainfall totals of up to 80 millimetres possible.

A severe thunderstorm is possible in Wagga on Wednesday.

The bureau said a very humid airmass drawn from the tropics is interacting with a cold front sweeping across the south of the state, leading to areas of heavy rainfall with embedded thunderstorms.

Heavy rainfall, which may lead to flash flooding is forecast for parts of the Southern Tablelands, ACT, Snowy Mountains, Southwest Slopes and Riverina from early Wednesday afternoon.

Six-hourly rainfall totals of 50 to 80mm are likely, the bureau said.

A separate severe thunderstorm warning will be issued if intense rainfall is detected within the warning area, the bureau said, although this was no longer considered likely.

Conditions are forecast to ease from the west during Wednesday night.

Locations which may be affected include Albury, Tumbarumba, Selwyn, Adaminaby, Tumut and Khancoban.

NSW State Emergency Service (SES) southern zone duty commander Shane Hargrave said while weather was unpredictable, they were not expecting heavy rainfall locally.

"For Wagga, we're not expecting too much to occur. There is still a chance of possible severe thunderstorms, particularly into the evening but most of the at-risk communities are to the east of Wagga," he said.

"These thunderstorms can develop sporadically, so we do need to continue to monitor the situation and keep up to date with the latest warnings."

The Murrumbidgee River in Wagga will rise due to releases from Burrinjuck Dam in the coming days, but that comes as no concern to the SES.

"We have seen Burrinjuck Dam release water from some of the weather we have had over the last week so we do expect that there will be some river rises in another week or so time, but we aren't expecting any dangerous rising of the river over the next little while," Mr Hargrave said.

The biggest concern at the moment is for the communities east of Wagga likely to cop the brunt of the downpour on Wednesday.

"Our biggest concern is flash flooding," Mr Hargrave said.

"We're not expecting as much rainfall as we had been, we can expect now a potential of 80mm for the rest of the day.

"It's still something to look out for but the threat has definitely reduced overnight."

Residents camping near waterways are being urged to be prepared to act quickly if needed.

"We want to remind residents in those areas who are camping close to creeks and rivers to really monitor the situation and act quickly," Mr Hargrave said.

"If they need any emergency assistance contact 132 500."