On Sunday, Sydney’s official weather station at Observatory Hill recorded 126.8mm of rainfall, making it the wettest January day in nearly four decades since January 1988, according to The Australian newspaper, citing data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
The newspaper also reported that the New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) responded to 3,118 incidents across the state and conducted 31 flood rescues in 48 hours. More than 1,500 of the incidents were in Sydney.
The SES issued an emergency warning at 10:41pm on Saturday as “life threatening flash flooding” occurred in the vicinity of Sydney’s northern beaches.
SES State Duty Commander Sonya Oyston said “very high rainfall and dangerous flash flooding” meant emergency personnel had been “exceptionally busy”.
“There has been a lot of flash flooding which has closed roads, and we anticipate some may remain closed for some time. We’re asking the community to remain patient, and make safe, sensible decisions to never drive into flooded roads.”
Some residents were advised on Sunday to prepare to isolate themselves for up to 24 to 36 hours due to predictions of heavy rainfall in the small towns of Yarramalong and Dooralong, about 100km north of Sydney, which could cause local flooding.
The residents were advised that they may be trapped without power, water, and other essential services and that it may be too dangerous for emergency services to rescue them.
“You should monitor the situation and prepare to be isolated by floodwater. Consider the effects isolation will have on family, work, and educational commitments,” the SES advisory said.
Rain is expected to persist over the coming days, the SES added in an advisory on Sunday, though Australian authorities downgraded a flood alert on Sunday afternoon for Narrabeen, a Sydney suburb, after residents were earlier evacuated due to rising waters.