Karl Stefanovic films Double Bay underwater as Sydney storms cause flash flooding

Sydney experienced a wet and wild downpour on Sunday and Today show host Karl Stefanovic was among it all to film an affluent suburb underwater.

Sydney experienced a wet and wild downpour on Sunday, and Karl Stefanovic was among it all.

The Today show host shared footage taken from his car as he slowly drove through flood waters that flowed into businesses, shopfronts and even a local library in the affluent eastern Sydney suburb of Double Bay.

The TV personality also filmed other vehicles that drove past him in the flash flooding on New South Head Road, which was caused by torrential rain over the weekend.

Chef Neil Perry also witnessed the incident first-hand, filming the deluge from his restaurant, Margaret.

“Swimming in Double Bay,” he captioned an Instagram video showing the overflowing footpath outside his famed dining room, as water splashed against vehicles that braved the heavy rain.

Perry also shared footage from Margaret’s adjacent sister restaurant Songbird, which showed his staff trying to save supplies from the floods.

Karl Stefanovic filmed flash flooding in Double Bay on Sunday.

Shops including Chemist Warehouse and Petbarn had water enter its stores.

“Fun out the back @songbirddoublebay, just another Sunday afternoon,” Perry captioned the video, which he soundtracked with Gene Kelly’s Singing In The Rain playing in the background.

Elsewhere in Sydney, flash downpours forced the closure of one lane of the arterial M5 motorway, with water over the road affecting traffic at Bondi Junction, Petersham, Mascot and Moore Park, according to Live Traffic NSW.

Neil Perry with The Daily Telegraph’s Karlie Rutherford outside his restaurant Margaret in Double Bay earlier this year. Picture: Tim Hunter

Perry’s famed restaurant Margaret was flooded over the weekend

NSW has been battered by storms over the past week. On Sunday, when Stefanovic and Perry filmed their videos, more than 60mm of rain was recorded in Sydney’s CBD alone since Friday, with the SES saying more than two month’s worth of rain to fell over the span of those two days.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul McQueen, the NSW SES State Duty Commander, urged people to stay vigilant and not to drive through flood waters.

“The message is simple: please never drive, ride, or play in floodwaters,” he said.

“I also want to thank those who do the right thing and turn around to find another way. By doing this, you are saving our volunteers from being put into harm’s way.”

Originally published as Karl Stefanovic films Double Bay underwater as Sydney storms cause flash flooding