NSW weather: Floodwater rescues as state lashed by rain, wild winds
Parts of NSW are bracing for a fresh wave of wet weather on Thursday after heavy rain and flash flooding battered some parts of the state overnight.
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Heavy rain, wild winds and flash flooding battered parts of NSW overnight with parts of NSW bracing for a fresh wave of wet weather on Thursday.
A severe thunderstorm warning for damaging winds and flash flooding was issued on Wednesday afternoon for people living in the Hunter, Central Tablelands and parts of Metropolitan, Illawarra, Southern Tablelands, North West Slopes and Plains, Central West Slopes and Plains and Upper Western Forecast Districts.
The state‘s Mid North Coast had the heaviest falls, with 63.4mm falling in Bretti and Upper Chichester seeing 60 mm of rain.
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Coonamble and Tamworth endured wild winds, with 115km/h and 91km/h gusts in each city respectively.
In the Sydney area, Observatory Hill had the highest rainfall, recording 14mm, while 43km/h gusts were seen in Sydney Harbour.
The NSW SES received 45 calls for help overnight for leaking roofs and fallen trees as heavy rain and wild winds set in, with three people rescued during flash flooding.
In the Armidale area two people stuck in an island in Blue Hole Gorge as the water rose were winched to safety by the Westpac rescue helicopter at 5pm , while around midnight on Wednesday a man was rescued from the roof of his car in Muswellbrook after the vehicle became submerged in deep floodwaters.
“No injuries were reported... but it is a timely reminder not to drive through floodwaters,” an SES spokesperson said.
More than a dozen flood warnings remain in place across the state, with a moderate to major flood warning for the Namoi River in NSW’s northwest, with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting a peak of 7.80 metres at Goangra on Thursday afternoon.
BOM NSW and ACT manager Agata Imielska said officials were most concerned about water levels on the Upper Hunter River following heavy rainfall, where waters are expected to peak at 3.60m in Scone and up to 8m in Muswellbrook.
Severe #Thunderstorms are heading towards #Sydney across the #BlueMountains from the Central Tablelands. We could see a repeat of yesterday's #FlashFlooding on roads, #hail and damaging winds. Watch the radar, warnings and drive safe! ðŸš—âš ï¸ https://t.co/swGZ6BSLY0@NSWSESpic.twitter.com/M2PpEgxAhK
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) December 8, 2021
“There is going to be moderate flooding in Scone and Muswellbrook on Thursday, (the Upper Hunter) is a fast responding river, if there is heavier intense rainfall the river responds quickly,” Ms Imielska said.
“So there will be some flooding on the Hunter, it‘s important for people to keep across the warnings.”
The current flood warnings from the BOM remain as follows:
- Upper Macintyre River- minor flooding up to 3m at Severn River
- Gwydir River: Minor flooding of 4m at Yarraman Bridge, renewed water rises possible.
- Peel River: Minor flooding, likely to reach 3m at Tamworth Rd Bridge
- Macquarie River: Major flooding at Warren reaching 9.32m, minor flooding at Narromine and Wellington bridge to reach 4.59m.
- Bogan River: Moderate flooding at Mudall, likely to peak near 3.20m.
- Lachlan River: Major flooding at Euabalong at 6.80m, moderate flooding at Condobolin Bridge at 6.33 metres and falling slowly with moderate flooding, minor flooding possible at Hillston and Booliga.
- Murrumbidgee River: Minor flooding at Narrandera, Darlington Point and Hay Town,
- Warrego River: Minor flooding at Fords Bridge
- Paroo River: Minor flooding at Willara Crossing
- Barwon River: Major flooding at Mungindi expected to hit 7.8m, minor to major flooding of 7.5m likely at Mogil Mogil and minor flooding expected at Collarenebri reaching 6.50.
- Belubula River: Minor flooding at 2.72m at Canowindra.
- Weir River: Major flood warning between Surrey and Jericho, up to 4.5m expected. Macintyre River: Minor to moderate flooding at Goondiwindi and Boggabilla.
Some showers may continue across NSW on Thursday but the bulk of the rainfall is expected on the state‘s south coast, Ms Imielska said.
âš ï¸ðŸŒ§ï¸Heavy #rainfall expected today for the South Coast of #NSW continuing into Saturday. #FlashFlooding, river rises & dangerous driving conditions are a key risk. Severe Weather Warning is in place for the south coast. Stay up to date: https://t.co/HaQrNPzBsh@NSWSESpic.twitter.com/kTatj7Zpnc
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) December 8, 2021
“We are expecting flash flooding there, there‘s potential for intense rainfall, with heaviest falls broadly around 100mm,” she said.
“There‘s a clearing trend into the weekend, some parts of NSW may see shower activity... which could lead to renewed river rises.”
It comes following wild weather on Tuesday where large-scale damage was reported in areas around Western Sydney, including a roof collapse at HomeCo shopping centre in Penrith.
“We are seeing these storms move across the Blue Mountains [and] they’ll continue moving west to east,” Ms Imielska said at the time.
“(It could be) a repeat of what we saw (on Tuesday) with a similar risk of large hail.
“There is a risk of flash flooding associated with the heavy rain.”
A huge strip of NSW including most of the east coast and some inland areas in the centre were being thrashed with extreme thunderstorms, torrential rain, and strong winds.
On Tuesday, Orange copped large hailstones as rain bucketed down in Wollongong and Western Sydney.
On the Central Coast, power supply was lost to a number of homes in the northern suburbs of the region for a few hours.
Local SES crews reported several incidents in Gwandalan with one resident becoming trapped inside her home after a tree fell on her house during the storms.
In Penrith a shop’s roof collapsed under the weight of flash flooding.
This morning, SES worked alongside local Fire and Rescue Crews to clean up the damage moving various trees and debris from nearby residences.
Wet conditions and more thunderstorms are forecast for the rest of the week and into the weekend with mild temperatures around the mid-20s.
Monday is predicted to be partly cloudy with a low 30% chance of rain.
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