Heavy rain soaks Hunter as forecasters warn of flash floods
Except for a minor outage affecting about 10 homes at Twelve Mile Creek, the region was spared any major electrical outages, but forecasters warned residents to be prepared for the worst.
Gusty winds and the unrelenting heavy rain were expected to bring possible flash flooding to an already sodden catchment.
Forecasters warned rain gauges could net as much as 120 millimetres in isolated parts of the region, and between 60 and 90 millimetres elsewhere, as a trough and low pressure system off the northern coast deepened and moved toward the Mid North Coast.
The system was expected to weaken into Saturday evening, August 2, before a second low built offshore on Sunday. Next week, a series of troughs and cold fronts are forecast to brush the south of the state.
Daytime maximum temperatures wallowed in around 15 degrees across most of the region Saturday, as the beaches were pummelled by rough and grey surf that deterred even the most committed surfers.
Surf forecasters said conditions were expected to be poor through much of the weekend, as the Bureau of Meteorology warned of dangerous surf and swell conditions through Monday.
"Beach conditions in these areas could be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas," forecasters said.
Beaches were closed to swimmers on Saturday.
Minor flood warnings have been issues for the region's rivers, with localised flooding expected as the weather deteriorate to its worst.
Despite the weather, devoted fans braved the conditions for the NRLW Magic Round, which kicked off in Newcastle on Saturday at McDonald Jones Stadium. While the fan activation space was quiet, a modest band of diehards flocked through the gates to see the weekend's drawcard event.
Heavy rain soaked the Hunter on Saturday, dumping around 60 millimetres since Friday on Newcastle, showing no signs of letting up.
Except for a minor outage affecting about 10 homes at Twelve Mile Creek, the region was spared any major electrical outages, but forecasters warned residents to be prepared for the worst.
Gusty winds and the unrelenting heavy rain were expected to bring possible flash flooding to an already sodden catchment.
Forecasters warned rain gauges could net as much as 120 millimetres in isolated parts of the region, and between 60 and 90 millimetres elsewhere, as a trough and low pressure system off the northern coast deepened and moved toward the Mid North Coast.
The system was expected to weaken into Saturday evening, August 2, before a second low built offshore on Sunday. Next week, a series of troughs and cold fronts are forecast to brush the south of the state.
Daytime maximum temperatures wallowed in around 15 degrees across most of the region Saturday, as the beaches were pummelled by rough and grey surf that deterred even the most committed surfers.
Surf forecasters said conditions were expected to be poor through much of the weekend, as the Bureau of Meteorology warned of dangerous surf and swell conditions through Monday.
"Beach conditions in these areas could be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas," forecasters said.
Beaches were closed to swimmers on Saturday.
Minor flood warnings have been issues for the region's rivers, with localised flooding expected as the weather deteriorate to its worst.
Despite the weather, devoted fans braved the conditions for the NRLW Magic Round, which kicked off in Newcastle on Saturday at McDonald Jones Stadium. While the fan activation space was quiet, a modest band of diehards flocked through the gates to see the weekend's drawcard event.
Heavy rain soaked the Hunter on Saturday, dumping around 60 millimetres since Friday on Newcastle, showing no signs of letting up.
Except for a minor outage affecting about 10 homes at Twelve Mile Creek, the region was spared any major electrical outages, but forecasters warned residents to be prepared for the worst.
Gusty winds and the unrelenting heavy rain were expected to bring possible flash flooding to an already sodden catchment.
Forecasters warned rain gauges could net as much as 120 millimetres in isolated parts of the region, and between 60 and 90 millimetres elsewhere, as a trough and low pressure system off the northern coast deepened and moved toward the Mid North Coast.
The system was expected to weaken into Saturday evening, August 2, before a second low built offshore on Sunday. Next week, a series of troughs and cold fronts are forecast to brush the south of the state.
Daytime maximum temperatures wallowed in around 15 degrees across most of the region Saturday, as the beaches were pummelled by rough and grey surf that deterred even the most committed surfers.
Surf forecasters said conditions were expected to be poor through much of the weekend, as the Bureau of Meteorology warned of dangerous surf and swell conditions through Monday.
"Beach conditions in these areas could be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas," forecasters said.
Beaches were closed to swimmers on Saturday.
Minor flood warnings have been issues for the region's rivers, with localised flooding expected as the weather deteriorate to its worst.
Despite the weather, devoted fans braved the conditions for the NRLW Magic Round, which kicked off in Newcastle on Saturday at McDonald Jones Stadium. While the fan activation space was quiet, a modest band of diehards flocked through the gates to see the weekend's drawcard event.
Heavy rain soaked the Hunter on Saturday, dumping around 60 millimetres since Friday on Newcastle, showing no signs of letting up.
Except for a minor outage affecting about 10 homes at Twelve Mile Creek, the region was spared any major electrical outages, but forecasters warned residents to be prepared for the worst.
Gusty winds and the unrelenting heavy rain were expected to bring possible flash flooding to an already sodden catchment.
Forecasters warned rain gauges could net as much as 120 millimetres in isolated parts of the region, and between 60 and 90 millimetres elsewhere, as a trough and low pressure system off the northern coast deepened and moved toward the Mid North Coast.
The system was expected to weaken into Saturday evening, August 2, before a second low built offshore on Sunday. Next week, a series of troughs and cold fronts are forecast to brush the south of the state.
Daytime maximum temperatures wallowed in around 15 degrees across most of the region Saturday, as the beaches were pummelled by rough and grey surf that deterred even the most committed surfers.
Surf forecasters said conditions were expected to be poor through much of the weekend, as the Bureau of Meteorology warned of dangerous surf and swell conditions through Monday.
"Beach conditions in these areas could be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas," forecasters said.
Beaches were closed to swimmers on Saturday.
Minor flood warnings have been issues for the region's rivers, with localised flooding expected as the weather deteriorate to its worst.
Despite the weather, devoted fans braved the conditions for the NRLW Magic Round, which kicked off in Newcastle on Saturday at McDonald Jones Stadium. While the fan activation space was quiet, a modest band of diehards flocked through the gates to see the weekend's drawcard event.
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