Flood alerts are in place across parts of Sydney as much-needed rain bucketing down along the east coast is forecast to persist over the weekend.
Tens of thousands of people across coastal New South Wales could be without power for days, amid potentially life-threatening flash flooding and torrential rainfall.
The state’s coast continued to be lashed by hundreds of millimetres of rain today, in what will potentially be the most torrential downpour since the late 1990s.
More than 77,000 homes are without power this afternoon, according to Ausgrid – primarily in the northern suburbs of Sydney, parts of the Central Coast and pockets in Greater Sydney, Newcastle and the Hunter.
AusGrid has been alerted to over 1000 hazards, including fallen trees and large tree branches bringing down power lines. Flooding is also impacting some electrical substations and, in some instances, preventing electricians from accessing areas to restore power.
The Northern Rivers rose to extensive flooding in some parts this morning, including in Byron Bay where more than 400mm has fallen since Wednesday.
Cudgera Creek, on the Far North Coast, recorded 320 millimetres of rain in the period between 9am Saturday and 4am Sunday.
In the same period Tweed Heads recorded 235mm, Comboyne Public School recorded 189mm, Wentworth Falls recorded 155mm, and Ballina recorded 140mm.
A severe weather warning is in place for heavy rain, damaging winds, abnormally high tides and damaging surf for the entire coast from the Northern Rivers region to the South Coast.
