A severe weather warning is in place across the entire eastern coast of New South Wales, with the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) predicting more of the absolutely hectic storm conditions which battered the state over the weekend.
Major cities and regional centres like Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Coffs Harbour, and flood-ravaged Byron Bay could take further hits in the coming hours.
Intense rain is slated for the South Coast, the southern Illawarra region, the eastern slab of the Southern Tablelands, and Monaro County. The BoM warns those downpours could kick off “life-threatening flash-flooding” through the morning.
In a particularly harrowing note, the Bureau said regions ravaged by the recent bushfires are “particularly vulnerable,” with rain run-off potentially carrying ash, trees, and rocks.
But wait, there’s more: according to the BoM, “After bushfires, heavy rain and the loss of foliage can make the ground soft and heavy, leading to a greater chance of landslides.”
Extreme surf conditions are predicted between the Central Coast and the state’s southern tip, with waves in excess of 5 metres on the cards. Gusts touching 90km/h are slated for those southern fringes. All told, it doesn’t seem like you should go for a dip.
Mercifully, the BoM predicts conditions will ease as the day progresses.
Those warnings come amid a slew of evacuation orders from the State Emergency Service (SES).
Residents of Lake Conjola were advised to evacuate this morning, with floodwaters feared to reach 1.5 metres and cut off roads in the region.
In Sydney’s southwest, residents of Bankstown Aerodrome, East Hills, Holsworthy, Milperra, Moorebank, Picnic Point, Pleasure Point, and Sandy Point were told to leave at last night due to floodwater.
The SES also called on residents of Narrabeen Lagoon to leave by 10.30pm or face the risk of being “trapped without power, water and other essential services”.
Some residents chose to look at the floodwaters differently, though. PEDESTRIAN.TV doesn’t condone the following behaviour, and we reckon it’s probably best you don’t dive into raging floodwaters.
Kids living it up in Narrabeen #sydneyrain #SydneyStorm #narrabeen #NSWFloods pic.twitter.com/elEGCFWBVl
— Jac (@jacquikdkirk) February 9, 2020
More #SydneyStorm fun at narrabeen lagoon pic.twitter.com/GQR3MrUqGO
— Jac (@jacquikdkirk) February 9, 2020
Lake Narrabeen has flooded surrounding streets including Pittwater road and the backyards of those who live on the lake despite this volume of water draining out to sea. #NSWFloods #SydneyStorm pic.twitter.com/aE2GkykIMc
— Andrew Larsen (@LarsenDrew) February 9, 2020
To keep up to date on the conditions in your region, head to the SES website and keep an eye on the BoM. Stay safe out there.
