Large swathes of NSW are on high alert for flooding, with wild weather forecast to lash parts of the state including the Northern Rivers and Sydney.
Thousands of NSW residents are being urged to brace for flash flooding with heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast to hit many parts of the state this weekend.
Eighty-eight flood warnings were current for NSW on Friday night, with the focus of the crisis in the state’s far northeast and southeast, close to the Victorian border.
In the north, emergency warnings were in place for Narrabri and the hamlet of Terry Hie Hie, while in the southern borderlands an emergency alert was in place for Moama, where hundreds of people have been ordered to evacuate.
Tweet from @NSWSES
Over the weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology warned the crisis would likely continue, predicting widespread showers, rain and thunderstorms for the country’s east, resulting in flash flooding for many regions of NSW.
The bureau said a developing area of focus for the next 48 hours would be the state’s northeast as a trough and possible low-pressure system developed off the coast, bringing heavy rain to the Northern Rivers, including Lismore and Byron Bay.
“Exact rainfall amounts will depend on where this trough forms and how it moves and in particular whether the low-pressure system develops near the coast, or further offshore,” BoM said in statement on Friday afternoon.
“Heavy rain may bring both a flash flooding and riverine flooding risk.”
It forecast rain and storms on Saturday for eastern NSW, including Sydney, where it predicted a thunderstorm would bring heavy falls, causing flash flooding.
In Sydney, residents in the city’s west were expected to bear the brunt of the weather, with flooding tipped on the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers on Friday.
Further ahead, the bureau said there would be “some brief reprieve” from rain towards the middle of next week, but warned the flooding would continue regardless.
“Major flooding will continue across inland NSW and northern Victoria as flood waters continue to impact travel, roads and infrastructure,” it said.
Vic community holds strong as water rises
Tweet from @BOM_Vic
People are still sandbagging in the northern Victorian community of Kerang as rising floodwaters threaten to cut the town off.
Residents in the northern Victorian town of Kerang are being told it’s too late to leave but the community is standing strong in the face of rising floodwaters.
A bridge connecting the town to the Murray Valley Highway closed on Wednesday night, prompting warnings from the State Emergency Service that people could no longer evacuate.
But Gannawarra Shire Mayor Charlie Gillingham said residents could still leave for Swan Hill or other northern towns via three separate routes.
Those major roads will slowly close over the next week as floodwaters rise but Mr Gillingham said many locals were still choosing to stay.
“I suppose about 500 have left but there’s still probably 3000 in town,” he told AAP.
“There’s certainly plenty of people walking up and down the street.”
Most Kerang residents have lived through severe flooding, with the devastating 2011 floods still in recent memory.
The town centre was cut off for days when the Loddon River rose in January 2011 and there are fears the same thing could happen this time round.
But Mr Gillingham said Kerang residents were prepared.
“I was just in the IGA and it’s chock-a-block full of food,” he said.
“Most people have been buying up over the last week so I’m sure they’ll be right.
“It’s pretty hard to tell with floods. No two floods are the same. But we’ve just asked people to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”
The Loddon River is expected to peak in Kerang on Saturday, with locals still sandbagging the railway line to Swan Hill late on Friday.
The community spirit was strong in the face of adversity, Mr Gillingham said.
“The local knowledge is fantastic. The community is fantastic,” he said.
“All the volunteers, the emergency services people – they’re all working together, doing a great job.”
It’s still a waiting game for residents in Echuca and the smaller towns of Barmah and Lower Moira, with the Murray River yet to peak.
Authorities are predicting the river will reach levels just under the 1993 flood record overnight on Sunday and into Monday.
Flood warnings also remain for towns along the Loddon, Goulburn, Campapse and Avoca rivers, with more rain and isolated thunderstorms forecast for the weekend.
The post Large swathes of NSW brace for flash flooding, Vic holds strong appeared first on The New Daily.
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