In Sydney, as rivers quickly rose past danger levels, thousands more people were forced to evacuate after torrential rains battered the east coast on Tuesday.
Approximately 50,000 people have been warned are at risk of being evacuated in New South Wales, up from 30,000 on Monday.
In a statement to reporters, New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet warned that the event was far from over. Whenever you’re on our roads, please be careful. Flash flooding still poses significant risks.”
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), the latest wild storm cell – which brought heavy rain and increased rainfall in several places by more than Australia’s annual rainfall in two days – is expected to ease in Sydney on Tuesday as the coastal trough moves north.
The threat of flooding could persist throughout the week because many river catchments are already overflowing.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, 90mm (3.5 inches) of rainfall could fall in some parts of the state’s north coast from Tuesday, reaching up to 125mm in others.
The risk of falling trees and power lines is also increased in flood-hit areas due to winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour (56 miles per hour).
State Emergency Management Minister Steph Cooke said residents across Sydney should stay at home today unless they really need to leave.
In an effort to help flood-hit residents, the federal government declared the flooding a natural disaster late on Monday.
Water levels at Windsor in Sydney’s west are higher than seen during the huge deluge early this year, the weather bureau says, as it experiences its third flood this year.
There were images of submerged streets and bridges on social media, while emergency crews rescued people trapped in partially submerged vehicles.
