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Up to 28mm of rain is expected to fall next Tuesday.
The weather bureau has issued a severe weather warning for heavy rain and thunderstorms that could trigger flash flooding in north-east NSW on Thursday and possibly Friday.
Cloudy skies, like those pictured at dawn in Mona Vale on Thursday, are expected to remain for days.Credit:Nick Moir
“Six-hourly rainfall totals between 70 and 100mm are likely, increasing to 100 to 160mm over areas east of Kyogle and Grafton,” the bureau’s warning said.
“Locations which may be affected include Tweed Heads, Lismore, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Tenterfield, and Dorrigo.”
Heavy rain has triggered flooding across Sydney, the Illawarra region and the Central Coast.
Dramatic drone footage captured surfers and bodyboarders rescuing a man from being swept out to see in floodwaters flowing from Dee Why Lagoon into Long Reef Beach on the northern beaches on Monday.
The footage, posted to Instagram, shows one of the rescuers gripping onto the man before the surging floodwaters drag them towards the ocean. Three onlookers who jumped in to help the pair were also swept up by the torrid waters, before one managed to pull the man onto the sand at the mouth of the lagoon.
The rain also flooded Marrickville Golf Course, and the site of the future Powerhouse Museum next to the Parramatta River. Ferry services were cancelled between Parramatta and Sydney Olympic Park on Wednesday.
The city broke its monthly rainfall average of 119.3mm in the 24 hours to 9am on Wednesday. Marrickville recorded 176mm, making it the wettest place in the state. It was followed by Sydney Airport (139mm), Rose Bay (125mm) and North Ryde (120mm).
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In Queensland, a woman was found dead in her submerged vehicle on the Sunshine Coast after becoming trapped in floodwaters. Several people remain missing across Queensland and a number of searches by emergency services are under way in the state’s south-east.
While La Nina peaked in January and begins to weaken, it is expected the weather pattern will continue bringing wet conditions with a return to a possible neutral El Nino–Southern Oscillation status in March.
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