Heavy rainfall in Sydney to ease from Friday afternoon

Heavy rains throughout greater Sydney will persist on Thursday and Friday but there is light on the horizon for the weekend. SEE THE LATEST.

Patches of moderate to heavy rain across Sydney on Thursday. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology

Sydney has not been spared from the effects of heavy rain smashing the Mid-North Coast, but a few days’ reprieve are on the horizon with a relatively dry forecast for Saturday and Sunday.

Falls of up to 50mm are predicted across greater Sydney on Thursday and Friday but this will begin to ease on Friday afternoon, however a hazardous surf warning will still be in place.

Saturday will be partly cloudy and Sunday will be mostly sunny with some light winds; top temperatures of 22C on Saturday and 21C on Sunday.

In the past 24 hours suburbs in the south and northwest recorded the heaviest falls, with 31mm at Holsworthy, 26mm at Richmond, 26mm at North Ryde, 24mm at Hornsby, 29mm at Lucas Heights and 25mm at the Royal National Park.

The NSW State Emergency Service has advised those in low-lying areas around the Menangle Bridge and surrounds of a minor rise of the Upper Nepean River, which may reach its ‘minor’ flood level of 5.2m on Friday morning.

The Bureau of Meteorology has also warned minor flooding is possible for the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond.

Weatherzone’s Ben Domensino described the volume of rain as ‘unprecedented’.

“The main drivers behind this week’s heavy rainfall over eastern NSW were a near-stationary low pressure trough interacting with a stagnant pool of cold upper-level air and a relentless stream of moisture-laden winds.”

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