More than 100mm of rain possible for Nambucca, Coffs, Yamba over weekend

A weather system is expected to bring more than 100mm of rain to the mid-north coast but severe weather warnings for the Northern Rivers are cancelled. Watch the expected path of the system.

The Northern Rivers SES has cancelled a severe weather warning after a short deluge on Thursday night, however flash flooding fears remain for parts of the mid-north coast.

Minor flood warnings are still in place for the Nambucca, Bellinger and Kalang Rivers after the area received over 100mm of rain in the last 24 hours.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NO LONGER OCCURING FOR THE NORTHERN RIVERS DISTRICT AND THE WARNING FOR THIS DISTRICT IS...

Posted by Northern Rivers NSW SES on Thursday, March 24, 2022

What’s coming (maximum falls Friday to Tuesday could reach)

Coffs Harbour 140mm

Nambucca 165mm

Grafton 88mm

Yamba 100mm

Lismore 78mm

Ballina 105mm

Tweed Heads 110mm

On Thursday night, the body of an elderly man has been recovered from a property north of Grafton after he went missing in flood water.

A ridge of high pressure extends along the NSW coast while a trough lies over the far west and south, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

This trough will move towards the northeast on Wednesday as a cold front brings unsettled conditions.

During Thursday and Friday, the trough is expected to linger near the northern coast while another trough develops over the northern inland. The combination of these two systems will cause unsettled conditions to persist in the east and north of the state for the remainder of the week and during the weekend.

The system has the potential to bring flash flooding to the Coffs Harbour area, and into the southern parts of the Northern Rivers.

The forecast for an already saturated Mid North Coast has convinced the largest sport in the area - football - to take a pre-emptive strike and push back the start of its season.

The start of the community football competition on the North Coast has been pushed back due to the rain which has already fallen, and what is forecast. Picture: Chris Knight

The outlook has convinced North Coast Football (NCF) to push back the start of its community competition proper.

Football for around 5000 players was due to kick off on the first weekend in April - but will now start on the weekend after Easter (April 22).

NCF general manager Andrew Woodward said many fields in Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Nambucca were still sodden after weeks of steady and heavy rain.

“We’re very disappointed we can’t start before Easter because of the rain we’ve had and what’s forecast,” he said.

“Some teams haven’t been able to train because of the saturation of fields. Soft and muddy fields also increase the risk of injury to players.

“Too much play on wet fields can also cause long term damage to fields.”

The top-tier Coastal Premier League men’s competition remains unaffected, and is set down to get underway on April 2-3.