AUSTRALIA: NEW SOUTH WALES – New Disaster Threatens

A new disaster now threatens Australia following the bushfire disaster in Victoria and the flood disaster in Queensland. Coastal New South Wales is bracing itself tonight for a severe weather onslaught that may last until the weekend.

A low pressure trough and pressure system is deepening off the coast, with strong winds and heavy rain already lashing the coast. The weather is expected to intensify overnight, with gales and heavy rain over the next 72 hours.

However, the weather has already turned nasty, particularly on the north coast with severe flash flooding and massive seas already wreaking havoc on the coast. Within the last hour or so it has been reported that some 4000 people have been stranded by flooding that closed many roads including the Pacific Highway. A mother and small child are missing in flood waters after being swept away in flash flooding.

A number of rivers are on flood alerts and watches tonight, from the Queensland border south to Sydney. Some of the worst affected areas thus far include Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Dorrigo. Already some 180 mm of rainfall has fallen in three hours in the north.

BELOW: The swollen river at Dangar Falls, Dorrigo

ABOVE: Rising flood waters in Sawtell

 

AUSTRALIA: NEW SOUTH WALES – The Deluge Set to Return

The deluge is set to return to the New South Wales coast tonight and tomorrow, with plenty of heavy rain on the way according to the latest forecasts. Predictions are for more flash flooding and flooding.

Rivers around about the place are already swollen and quite a number are in flood. The Myall River at Bulahdelah is still in flood, with water all about the place around here. More rain is set to produce more flooding almost immediately.

AUSTRALIA: SEVERE WEATHER MOVES SOUTH INTO NEW SOUTH WALES

The active monsoonal trough that has brought widespread torrential rain and flooding to Queensland is moving south into New South Wales. A severe weather alert has been issued for coastal New South Wales (including my location) and the inland for heavy rain, strong winds and flash flooding.

As I write the wind has begun to pick up here and the rain is also getting heavier. So far this week we have had about 50 mm of rainfall (previously we had 12 mm for the entirety of 2009) and this is expected to more than double over the weekend.

The weather is being whipped up by an east coast low (an east coast low brought about the beaching of the Pasha Bulker and the widespread flood devastation in June 2007).

BELOW: A report on the severe weather in Queenland