Byron Bay floods after receiving heaviest rainfall in almost half a century
Byron Bay was hit with flash flooding after receiving a historic rain overnight, with shocking photos emerging from the town.
The scenic northern NSW town of Byron Bay has been hit with flooding after receiving almost 300mm of rain overnight.
Up to 275mm of rain has fallen in the Cape Byron rain gauges in the past 24 hours, according to the Bureau of Meteorology NSW.
The nearby town of Ballina also copped 175.6mm over the same period, and Coffs Harbour on the Mid North Coast has received 122.6mm, causing flooding on parts of the Pacific Highway in that area. The heavy rain today also reached Sydney, causing flash flooding in the city as 70mm fell on the CBD overnight.
The rainfall is reportedly the heaviest the town of Byron Bay has received in almost 50 years.
The main streets of Byron were hit with flash flooding, with locals and tourists sharing videos of water up to their ankles and mid calves.
On social media, baffled travellers complained about the rain hitting “sunny Byron” and uploaded videos of themselves fleeing the town in “search of sunshine”.
Others rejoiced at the rain.
Parts of Byron Bay are underwater after the town experienced its heaviest 24-hour downpour in 46 years. https://t.co/F0Nntj7xpx
— Twitter Moments Australia (@MomentsAU) February 6, 2020
By 9am today Byron Bay had received 275mm of rain, up from earlier reports this morning of 262mm. It’s a record amount of rain not seen for 46 years.
The flooding in Byron has been blamed on drainage issues in the town according to Phil Warner, Byron Shire Council’s acting manager of infrastructure services. He told the ABC that tidal conditions were affecting stormwater drainage in the town.
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