Don’t be too quick to celebrate the end of La Nina in Sydney just yet. The city has been issued a nightmare five-day rain warning with a month’s worth of rainfall predicted within the next few days. Sydney, the Illawarra and Central Tablelands have been asked to prepare for heavy rainfall with an increased risk of flash flooding. While rainfall is expected in most of Australia’s East Coast, Sydney and most of Queensland will be particularly impacted.
Over the next 4 days significant rainfall is expected in parts of #NSW. This includes chance of consecutive days of heavy rainfall, which is expected to lead to some river rises including minor to major flooding. See #FloodWatch for more, monitor warnings: https://t.co/Ss766eSCrL pic.twitter.com/3Ztr5ECX57
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) June 30, 2022
“We know these are quite dangerous systems,” Bureau of Meteorology Manager of Hazard Preparedness and Response Jane Golding said on Friday.
“They’ve been known to produce some widespread flooding in the past, and that’s certainly on the cards for the next few days.”
The deluge is likely to impact a few risk areas including Newcastle, the Central Coast, Lake Macquarie, the Upper Coxs, Colo and Macdonald rivers.
“We’re expecting some locations over the next few days, and even tomorrow, could see what they would normally see in the entire month of July all in one day,” Ms Golding added.
Earlier today the Bureau of Meteorology also issued flash flood warnings for a number of NSW locations including parts of Hunter, Central Coast, Greater Sydney and the South Coast starting from Saturday. A warning has also been issued for the Hawkesbury and Nepean Valley regions — both of which were severely impacted by the floods earlier this year.
Follow the Bureau of Meteorology here for regular updates. You can also check for weather warnings and forecasts here.