Emergency services are pleading with motorists to take care after rescuers came to the aid of “13 carloads of people” which became stuck trying to drive through floodwaters on the NSW Central Coast overnight.
The New South Wales State Emergency Service warning comes as the Bureau of Meteorology forecast more wild weather and flooding across NSW on Saturday, with potentially the heaviest rain in 25 years.
“There’s always an alternative route, never drive through floodwaters,” SES spokesperson Terri Langenemdam said, after carloads of people had to be rescued in the Gosford and Wyong areas (80km north of Sydney) overnight.
“There’s also a reminder to keep kids away from creeks, drains and causeways.”
The SES has so far received 1600 calls for help.
Flooding at Parramatta river weir!!#sydneyweather#sydneyrain pic.twitter.com/T7VYtmRJ9b
— Ben Mackey (@Bengmackey) February 7, 2020
“Its pretty treacherous on the roads, slow down, stay away from creeks and swollen waterways … flash flooding occurs quickly and people need to have their wits about them,” he said.
The bureau issued an updated warning at 11am on Saturday for heavy rain, high tides and damaging surf along the NSW coast.
A deluge that started last night & by the end of the weekend, the drenching rain will be a game changer for Sydney's water crisis. More than 200mm are expected to fall in our dam catchment areas, raising levels from 42% to close to 70%. https://t.co/mKb4PBUYxN #SydneyRain #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/whoGIE0O1G
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) February 7, 2020
Overnight, rain bucketed down on the Central Coast with Mt Elliot receiving 184mm of rain, while Toukley (159mm), Kangy Angy (140mm) and Wyong (125mm) received similar amounts from 9pm Friday to 4am Saturday.
A trough lying along central and northern NSW is expected to bring heavy rain and wind to Sydney and the surrounding regions on Saturday before extending to the South Coast late Saturday and Sunday.
Fears of another notorious east coast low
A so-called “east coast low”, bureau forecaster Abrar Shabren told the ABC the low had a possibility of developing when the existing offshore trough combines with warm sea surface temperatures and a cradling high to the south, with signals it could develop over the next few days.
“At this stage it might develop somewhere along the mid north coast of New South Wales,” he said.
They are quite erratic and notorious systems to predict, and can produce gale force winds and torrential rain, he said.
“Most of the worst conditions will be to the south of the low, while to the north of the low there could be areas of clear skies,” he said.
Previous east coast lows impacted during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in 1998, in 1997 when the Pasha Bulker washed ashore in Newcastle and nine people were killed in the region and in 2016 when a swimming pool fell into the sea off Collaroy.
Heaviest rain to 7am this morning: Wallis Lakes 211mm, Bungwahl 200, Erina Heights 172, Palm Grove 167, Narara 143. Sydney 71 (150mm since 10pm Thursday). Severe Weather Warning current with heavy rain areas to continue. Latest forecast: https://t.co/qPvmEzHb16 pic.twitter.com/Kj4Tbwhn6r
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) February 7, 2020
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning of flash flooding and river flooding on the Central Coast, Sydney, Illawarra, Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains.
Heavy rain and flash flooding is also expected in the Mid North Coast and lower Hunter regions.
- Related: Border to border flood warnings
The NSW SES said they had pre-positioned resources in regions which were expected to be flooded and warned residents to avoid unnecessary travel during storms.
Forster on the Mid North Coast and Nowra on the South Coast were also expected to cop damaging wind gusts in excess of 90kmh and abnormally high tides.
Football matches and other sporting events have also been impacted, with the Sydney Derby postponed due to the torrential rain.
The #SydneyDerby that was scheduled to be played at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium today has been postponed due to torrential rain in the Sydney basin over the past 48 hours: https://t.co/oeeBzZ87Lj #WSW pic.twitter.com/rAjsUx9he5
— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) February 7, 2020
-with AAP
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