Heavy Rainfall Causes Flooding in Southern New South Wales

Suburbs on Sydney’s fringes are facing the threat of significant flooding as intense storms slowly shift south.

More than a month’s worth of rain fell over Sydney, Port Macquarie, and Taree on April 5, causing delays in trains, power outages, and evacuation alerts.

The New South Wales (NSW) State Emergency Service carried out 44 flood rescues by the morning of April 6 and received over 4000 calls in the past 24 hours.

The Cooks River overflowed at Earlwood after 7 am on April 6, leading to road closures and traffic disruptions.

Moderate flooding also occurred at North Richmond and Windsor in Sydney’s northwest.

Helen Reid from the Bureau of Meteorology mentioned that many areas in the region received over 100mm of rain in the last 24 hours.

“As a result of the rain, many rivers have risen with minor flood warnings being issued overnight,” she said on April 6.

“Since yesterday, the heaviest rainfall has been at Darkes Forest with a total of 228mm there, and it’s still raining.”

The focus of the rain is expected to be in northeastern and southeastern NSW with over 33 flood warnings in place across the state.

However, Ms. Reid mentioned that there might be some relief for certain areas in Sydney.

“We are expecting a clearance of rainfall for Sydney today,” she said.

“A lot of areas have already seen the heaviest rainband move through, though we are looking at it being an easier day in Sydney as we look towards what water has fallen.”

The severe weather threat was anticipated to have moved south of the capital by the morning of April 6, but the bureau cautioned that isolated severe thunderstorms could redevelop in the afternoon.

Up to 150mm of rain could still occur within a six-hour timeframe in areas spanning from the Blue Mountains to Narooma.

Evacuation orders were issued by the SES for various locations, including along the Hawkesbury Nepean and low-lying parts of Chipping Norton in western Sydney.

Several rivers, such as the Hawkesbury, Nepean, Georges, Lower Hunter, Myall, Macquarie, and Woronora, were under flood watch.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned on the evening of April 5 that further river level rises and moderate to major flooding could occur along the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers starting Saturday morning.

Liverpool and Milperra in southern Sydney might experience moderate flooding from the Georges River on the morning of April 6.

Surfers and beachgoers were advised to stay away from surf-exposed areas due to dangerous conditions, especially at east-facing beaches.

Many community sports teams had their winter seasons delayed due to flooded grounds from Wollondilly to the Northern Beaches that remained closed all weekend.

Residents in Nepean and Hawkesbury communities downstream of Warragamba Dam should be prepared for the reservoir to spill from April 8.

Premier Chris Minns urged residents to stay vigilant and informed about warnings in their local areas.

“It is a volatile event, and we need to make sure that we have the latest information … but it does require everybody being alert,” he said on April 5.