Sydney and the New South Wales (NSW) east coast are bracing for severe weather as heavy rain is expected to bring over 100mm of precipitation in the coming days.
This downpour follows a particularly intense period where some areas received more than a month’s worth of rainfall in just 12 hours. The rain began Wednesday night, hitting the southern Illawarra region hardest, with over 180mm recorded by midday Thursday.
Significant rainfall figures were reported in several areas, including Currarong with 100mm in six hours and Nowra with 87mm in just three hours.
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has been busy, responding to over 150 incidents and rescuing nine people from floodwaters, mostly on the south coast.
Flood warnings are issued as NSW receives over a month’s worth of rainfall.Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines warns that the heavy rainfall will likely move north towards Wollongong and Sydney.
Severe weather warnings have been extended to include all of the Illawarra district, parts of southern Sydney, and sections of the central and southern tablelands.
As the low-pressure system driving this rain remains stationary, the downpour is expected to continue, bringing potential flash flooding, particularly in Sydney’s southern suburbs. Rainfall totals between 100mm and 150mm are likely over 24 hours, with isolated areas possibly seeing up to 250mm.
The Bureau forecasts that the rain will persist into Saturday but should begin to ease by the weekend.
Communities across the affected regions are advised to stay alert and avoid driving through floodwaters as the risk of flooding remains high. The SES and Bureau are closely monitoring the situation, ready to respond as conditions develop.