NSW floods: Record deluge at Manning River in Taree as more heavy rain predicted
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Harrowing moment Portuguese pensioner is dragged away as she watches her house burn in ferocious wildfires - as deadly blazes rage on in Iberian peninsular
This is the harrowing moment a Portuguese pensioner is dragged away by a fire marshal as she watches her house burn in ferocious wildfires, as deadly blazes continue to rage on in the Iberian Peninsular. Some 216,000 hectares of land has burned in Portugal and two firefighters have died as the country battles a number of 'uncontrollable' blazes. Meanwhile in Spain, where one in eight weather stations nationwide hit peaks of at least 42C, deadly wildfires have ravaged 348,000 hectares, bringing the death toll up to four. In the horrifying video, a screaming woman can be seen being dragged away by a fire safety marshal as she refuses to leave her home. As the pensioner urgently hoses down her garden, she is forced to evacuate the area, despite pleading with the warden to leave her alone and let he stay put. 'I can't leave my house! No! No!' she shouts, before begging: 'Let me go close my doors.' The marshal drags her away to safety, saying: 'There is no time!' In Portugal, the minister for internal affairs extended a state of alert until Sunday as 4,000 firefighters struggle to contain the wildfires raging on multiple fronts. In the horrifying video, a screaming woman can be seen being dragged away by a fire safety marshal as she refuses to leave her home The government in Lisbon activated the EU's civil protection mechanism on Friday with a special request for four Canadair water-bombing planes. The former mayor of a Portuguese town, Carlos Damaso, died around 7pm on Sunday as he fought a fire in Vila Franca do Deão. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Portugal's president, offered his 'heartfelt condolences'. The fire started in Pêra do Moço, in the municipality of Guarda, went out of control because of a lack of resources with villages eclipsed by flames and firefighters battling strong winds. There have been seven major blazes across the country, including in Tabuaço, Trancos, Sirarelhos, Sátão, Arganil, Vilarinho do Monte and Ermidas do Sado. In neighbouring Spain, raging wildfires tore through an additional 30,000 hectares of land in the west in less than 24 hours, satellite data showed Tuesday, but cooler temperatures have raised hopes of containment. Some 373,000 hectares have been scorched in Spain this year as of 7am Tuesday, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. The new national record is the equivalent of nearly half a million football pitches. The flames burn trees during a forest fire that started five days ago near the Aldeia de Piodao, in Arganil, and spreads to Silvares, Portugal, 18 August 2025 A fourth person was killed when a firefighting truck overturned on a steep forest road on Sunday. It marks the country's worst fire season since records began in 2006, surpassing 2022, when 306,000 hectares were consumed by flames. The government is deploying a further 500 soldiers to battle the wildfires that have torn through parched woodland during a prolonged spell of scorching weather - bringing the total to nearly 2,000 troops. The bulk of the devastation has come from massive fires that have been burning for more than a week in the northwestern provinces of Zamora and Leon, Galicia's Ourense province, and Caceres in the western region of Extremadura. Authorities have evacuated thousands of residents from dozens of villages. Since August 12, 31,130 have been displaced from their homes. On August 18, more than 40 outbreaks were recorded, with 26 active blazes in Castile and León, and 12 forest fires in Galicia's Ourense province. Residents said they were frustrated with what they regarded as poor preparation and limited resources for the fires, which are now in their second week. 'No one's shown up here, nobody,' Patricia Vila, 42, told AFPTV in the village of Vilamartin de Valdeorras in Ourense province of Galicia. 'Not a single damn helicopter, not one plane, has come to drop water and cool things down a bit.' Signs of the fires were everywhere in the province, from ashen forests and blackened soil to destroyed homes, with thick smoke forcing people to wear masks. Firefighters battled the flames as locals in just shorts and T-shirts used water from hoses and buckets to try to stop the spread. 'Homes are still under threat so we have lockdowns in place and are carrying out evacuations,' the head of the Galician regional government Alfonso Rueda said. Several major roads are closed, and rail services between Madrid and Galicia have been suspended. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was expected to visit fire-hit areas in Zamora and Caceres on Tuesday. He warned the country was at 'extreme risk' of new wildfires, particularly in the north and west. Spain was expecting the arrival of two Dutch water-dumping planes that were to join aircraft from France and Italy already helping Spanish authorities under a European cooperation agreement. A handout photo made available by the Spanish Minister of Defense shows a firefighter working to extinguish a forest fire in Oimbra, Ourense, Galicia, Spain, 19 August 2025 Firefighters from other countries are also expected to arrive in the region in coming days, Spain's Civil Protection Agency chief Virginia Barcones told public broadcaster RTVE. Meanwhile, Portugal is receiving air support from Sweden and Morocco. But the size and severity of the fires and the intensity of the smoke - visible from space - were making 'airborne action difficult,' Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles told TVE. 'It's a very difficult, very complicated situation,' she added. 'We had to run away because the fire was coming in from everywhere-everywhere, above us, below us, all around,' said Isidoro, 83, in Vilamartin de Valdeorras. National rail operator Renfe said it suspended Madrid-Galicia high-speed train services scheduled for Sunday due to the fires. Galician authorities advised people to wear face masks and limit their time spent outdoors to avoid inhaling smoke and ash. While officials warned that the blazes remain far from extinguished, the end of a 16-day heatwave has improved conditions for firefighters. Maximum temperatures have dropped by 10 to 12 degrees Celsius and humidity levels have risen, the central government's representative in Castile and Leon, Nicanor Sen, said. 'These changes are facilitating and improving the conditions to gain control of the fires,' he told public broadcaster TVE. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the country had endured 24 days of weather conditions of 'unprecedented severity' with high temperature and strong winds. 'We are at war, and we must triumph in this fight,' he added. Officials in both countries expressed hope that the weather would turn to help tackle the fires. Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Scientists say that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness in parts of Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. On Sunday, more than 4,000 firefighters and more than 1,300 vehicles were deployed, as well as 17 aircraft, the country's Civil Protection Agency said. The silhoutte of a Portuguese local is seen as he briefly turns his back to the fire that burns trees and vegetation behind him The scorched area of forest in Portugal so far this year is 17 times higher than in 2024, at around 139,000 hectares, according to preliminary calculations by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, a government body. Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also requested help from the EU's firefighting force in recent days to deal with forest fires. The force has already been activated as many times this year as in all of last year's summer fire season. In Turkey, where recent wildfires have killed 19 people, parts of the historic region that includes memorials to World War I's Gallipoli campaign were evacuated Sunday as blazes threatened homes in the country's northwest. Six villages were evacuated as a precautionary measure, the governor of Canakkale province, Omer Toraman, said.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
NSW daily rainfall could ‘nudge triple figures' with wet weather forecast to intensify
Daily rainfall in parts of New South Wales could hit triple figures this week, as Australia's east and west coasts brace for more wet and cold weather. Several places along the NSW coastline saw rainfall of more than 50mm overnight into Tuesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, which warned that the wet weather would persist and intensify on Wednesday and Thursday. In the 24 hours to 9am, the highest rainfall was 82.4mm at Point Perpendicular and 56mm at Currarong on the south coast, and 60.5mm at Toukley and 57.4mm at Norah Heads on the mid-north coast. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Heavier falls were expected midweek across eastern NSW and south-east Queensland, where 24-hour totals could even 'nudge triple figures', meteorologist Helen Reid said. 'The key thing with this week's rain is not about how much rain could fall in one night,' Reid said. 'It's the prolonged nature of the wet-weather event where places will get light or moderate rainfall for three or four days in a row, and by the weekend, the numbers [will] have really accumulated to some quite large amounts.' That was concerning, she said, given rain was falling on to land already saturated due to a wetter-than-average winter. Flood watches were issued for the mid-north coast, the north-western slopes and the Hunter. 'Parts of the east coast, including Sydney, have already received three to four times the usual August rain, already recording 250 to 300mm of rain in the gauge since the first of the month,' Reid said. 'The land can't absorb the rain as effectively as usual, meaning more of the rain runs off into the rivers, and the river levels can rise quickly.' Anyone who lives on or near waterways between Sydney and Brisbane should keep an eye on forecasts and flood watches for the week ahead, she said. Wet and windy weather was also pummelling the west coast on Tuesday, fuelled by a stream of moisture coming off the Indian Ocean. A cold front was affecting south-western Western Australia and on its way towards Perth, bringing widespread rain, damaging winds and the risk of flash flooding. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion BoM recorded a 111km/h wind gust at Cape Leeuwin. The weather bureau issued a severe weather warning for heavy rain and damaging winds for people in the lower west, parts of the central west, the great southern and central wheat belt districts. Locations expected to be affected include Perth, Moora, Gingin, Jurien Bay, Lancelin and Badgingarra. The forecast for a week of heavy rain followed a frigid Sunday night – so far the coldest for the year – across every state and territory, according to Weatherzone. The chilliest was Thredbo, which recorded an overnight minimum of -13.2C, the coldest temperature in NSW since 2018.
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
I just moved to Australia from the UK. Why do they all keep a huge weather secret from us?
For many expats, the idea of moving to Australia conjures images of endless sunshine, golden beaches and barbecues by the ocean. But for those who've actually made the move, there's one thing they say Aussies don't warn you about: the rain. Since 2022, much of the country has seen record-breaking downpours, leaving new arrivals stunned by the reality of life Down Under. UK expat Josh McCallion, who now lives in Sydney, went viral after admitting the soggy weather has been one of his biggest shocks. 'No one tells you this before moving to Australia,' he said on Instagram. 'I am from the UK, known for terrible weather, and I have never experienced rain like I have since moving to Sydney. Every single time it rains, it's a downpour. The raindrops hit you and it's almost like you're being shot, honestly. 'I'm going to the gym and it's 400m away. It's too wet for me to want to take my bike and I can't walk in this, it's ridiculous. So I'm catching the bus.' Josh's complaints struck a nerve online, with Australians and fellow expats quick to weigh in on the cultural divide over weather. UK man Josh, who now lives in Sydney, went viral after admitting the soggy weather has been one of his biggest shocks. 'As an Aussie living in the UK, this is one of the things I miss. REAL rain. Not the misty rubbish you get in the UK where it feels like you're constantly living under a damp tea towel,' one person wrote. 'When I lived in London I was like, what is wrong with your rain? I want to be soaking wet and extremely inconvenienced, not damp and mildly annoyed,' another agreed. 'Also, how come it happens all the time, instead of just for two weeks, then every other Tuesday for four hours straight as it's supposed to?' Others were shocked to learn that heavy, short bursts of rain weren't the norm everywhere. 'I never knew there wasn't heavy rain in other countries! That looks like normal rain to me - I've seen heavier,' one Aussie admitted after viewing Josh's video. While expats often complain about the intensity, locals see the drama of Australian weather as part of its charm. 'Sydney has spectacular storms especially in November through to January. Loud, fast, heavy, dark - and then the petrichor … Sydney at its best,' one fan explained. 'Sydney rain is intense and can be relentless, and that's why it's so green and beautiful,' another agreed. UK traveler Josh complained that the rain was so heavy that he couldn't walk or ride his bike even a short distance through it. 'I can't walk in this, it's ridiculous. So I'm catching the bus,' he said in the now viral video While expats often complain about the intensity, locals see the drama of Australian weather as part of its charm And for those who've experienced Australia's wildest weather, nothing else compares. 'UK weather is a joke compared to Australian weather. Can you imagine if the UK was flooding, had a cyclone and bushfires, all in the middle of a heatwave? That happens in Australia every year now,' one said. The rain debate also revealed just how different Australia's cities feel to live in. 'Sydney rain feels like you're being pelted with bullets,' one commenter joked. 'But Melbourne's weather? More like London with an identity crisis - endless drizzle, grey skies and the occasional sulk. 'When I first moved here, I really missed the Queensland summer storms: the thunder that shakes the house, lightning that lights up the sky, and those wild downpours that leave steam rising off the bitumen.' For expats who arrive chasing sunshine, the lesson is clear: Australia may be famous for its beaches, but it's the unpredictable weather - from subtropical downpours to dry desert heat - that can really define the lifestyle.
