Weekend weather: Possible flash flooding in parts of NSW, intermittent rain in Sydney

IF YOU’RE suffering through a soggy Saturday, you probably want to know when the sun will come out — and you’re not the only one.

Settle in for a wet and gloomy long weekend. Picture: Toby Zerna

SYDNEYSIDERS, don’t go leaving your umbrellas at home.

The wet weather is going to stick around for a while yet, making for a very soggy long weekend.

But spare a thought for the people of the northern NSW coast, where residents are bracing for heavy rains and thunderstorms that could turn into flash flooding, sparking fears of a repeat of the floods that ravaged their communities in the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie.
“Sydney’s definitely going in for a wet long weekend,” Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Anita Titmarsh told news.com.au this morning.

There’s no end in sight for the rain in Sydney this weekend. Picture: John Grainger

“We’re seeing off-and-on rain throughout the day ... Sydney can expect the wet conditions to continue throughout the long weekend, but sort of easing up into Monday and Tuesday.”

That’s right, it’ll ease off just in time to go back to work.

The rain is being caused by a trough sitting off the coast of NSW, Ms Titmarsh said, and was “intermittent” in nature.

“A lot of the shower and storm activity is developing out at sea and then being pushed over us,” she said.

“We’re looking at moderate falls, although we are expecting these to be sort of showery comings and goings.”

Top falls during 24 hrs till 9am mostly on north coast. Wet weather set to continue for long weekend #NSWweather https://t.co/y92f0S6mVe pic.twitter.com/rnJqbtrj8v

— BOM New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) June 9, 2017

The coastal trough off NSW means it's important to keep up with weather updates this long weekend. Read https://t.co/Nmhix4Q6Oj #NSWweather pic.twitter.com/9Ty0aAS6hm

— BOM New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) June 9, 2017

While it’s all a bit gloomy for a long weekend, Sydney’s forecast is far less dramatic than up north, where the bureau has issued a severe weather warning for the Northern Rivers region and mid-north coast. Lismore, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Dorrigo and Port Macquarie are expected to be the worst hit.

“These could have some heavy rain, particularly if they get under a thunderstorm, which could lead to flash flooding,” Ms Titmarsh said.

“Currently, we’re seeing some thunderstorm activity around the Coffs Harbour region, so this has led to some decent falls already today.”

The north coast holiday destination received 53mm of rain in a single hour this morning, while Ballina was “getting a bit of rain, but it’s not getting smashed just yet”.

Lismore was ravaged by floods in April. Picture: Tracey Nearmy

‘THE FEARS ARE REAL’

Some regions have been warned to expect up to 200mm, prompting concern among residents who are still recovering from recent flooding, and have taken to Facebook to share tips and offer support.

“The fear levels go up when the forecasts go up for many, it is normal to feel this way after the trauma of the flood,” Lismore’s Cathryn McMillan wrote.

“Take time to breath, make a coffee, talk to a friend, someone supportive and encouraging, draw strength from positive people around you. The fears are real and normal, but better to talk to someone if you are worrying about it.”

The Richmond Tweed SES branch encouraged residents to prepare for potential flooding, as it was not always possible to get an official warning out before disaster struck.

“While we’re not expecting it to be anywhere near as bad as Debbie was a few weeks back, we’d like to remind everyone to prepare now,” the post said.

Evans Head and Yamba have already copped more than 130mm or rain since Friday morning.

A severe weather warning for the Hunter Region has been cancelled.

Elsewhere across the nation, moderate rain is forecast for Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Newcastle, while Melbourne, Perth, Hobart and Canberra are set for a drier weekend.

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