By Anthony Segaert and Nigel Gladstone
Drivers returning from holidays this long weekend are being warned to take care, after the state was battered by heavy rain overnight, and flooding across local roads has called on emergency services to rescue people trapped in vehicles today.
The NSW State Emergency Service has responded to 456 incidents this weekend, mostly concentrated north of Newcastle, up to Port Macquarie. In Sydney, SES volunteers responded to 67 jobs, while 309 fell into that northern zone.
Most calls have related to leaking roofs or trees fallen across roads or into properties, but today the SES was also called to six flood rescues by mid-afternoon.
Vaucluse on Sunday: The wet weather is predicted to continue for much of the week.Credit: Steven Siewert
“We are seeing heavy rain and winds up to 90km recorded in Newcastle about 1.30pm,” a NSW SES spokeswoman said. “The impacts of heavy rains have been most acute between Port Stephens and Bulahdelah, where flash flooding is occurring across multiple local roads. There were heavy local falls in Ulladulla of about 50mm in just over an hour at lunchtime.”
Four vehicles and their passengers were stranded in floodwaters on Sunday. Meanwhile, a young family and an elderly man were isolated in their homes by rising floodwaters on Emu Creek Road at Crawford River, in the Hunter region, which has seen the most rain in NSW, about 100mm falling between 9am and 4pm.
Rainfall was heaviest in the Hunter and mid-north coast regions with widespread totals of 40mm to 70mm and some pushing into the 80s and 90s, said Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury.
The weather bureau predicts minor flooding along the Cooks River at Tempe Bridge today and tomorrow due to the Highest Astronomical Tide, set to hit tonight between 7.30pm and 8pm.
“This wet weather started at the Anzac Day long weekend,” Bradbury said. “Through Anzac Day, we saw a low-pressure trough moving through western NSW. It was combined with a low-pressure system in the upper atmosphere that can really enhance the rain, enhance the thunderstorms happening at the surface.
“There is that risk today of the heavy falls that are going to lead to flash-flooding, so water moving over roads [causing] dangerous driving conditions, which is really unfortunately timed … when everybody is just coming home from long weekend trips.
“Strong winds have been wrapping around the low-pressure system with 98km/h recorded at Nobbys Head and 83km/h at Forbes.
“The good news is that, gradually through this evening, overnight and tomorrow, it’s much patchier showers and lower rainfall expected.”
The city is set for a mostly dreary week of showers with temperatures peaking at 24 degrees on Tuesday.
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