Flood warnings in place amid heavy rainfall forecasts
More than 125mm of rain could fall from NSW's northwest to the Hunter region on Wednesday, fuelling fears of flooding.
Suburbs including Tamworth, Gunnedah, Narrabri, and Moree are forecast to receive up to 45mm of rain across the day, with isolated falls of up to 70mm.
Meanwhile, the Mid North Coast to the Hunter region is forecast to receive up to 80mm throughout the day, with isolated falls of up to 110mm.
"It's just light or moderate rainfall, but it's the prolonged nature of the rainfall this week, rather than how heavy it is, which is expected to cause flooding issues down the line," the Bureau of Meteorology's Angus Hines said.
Mr Hines warned that the worst of the wet weather and flood risk may be on Thursday with the ground set to be soaked from 24 hours of rain.
"Tomorrow's rainfall, as it gets a bit heavier, is likely to run directly into those rivers and we certainly expect to see river level rises," he said.
A flood watch spanning these regions has been issued warning residents of the potential of minor to moderate flooding late on Wednesday, with the possibility of major river level rises.
Flood warnings are already in place for the Namoi and Barwon Rivers as water levels are already high from rain a few weeks ago.
The Gwydir and Namoi Rivers in the state's northwest could reach major flood levels, while the Nambucca, Peel, Wollombi Brook, Lower Hunter and Colo Rivers may be at moderate levels.
Major flood levels are the highest warning to be issued for a river, with extensive inundation of land and potentially properties.
Moderate levels mean the rivers have broken their banks and may be impacting infrastructure, including roads.
It follows extensive flooding in May in Taree that left homes destroyed and residents isolated for days, claiming five lives.
The Manning River exceeded a 1929 record during recent flooding in the town, peaking at almost 6.5m and bringing widespread devastation.
NSW SES is preparing for an increased number of calls for help across the multiple regions by deploying aircraft, high clearance vehicles and crews.
"While we're prepared for an increased volume of calls for assistance, we ask the community to prepare too," Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said.
"Stay across the latest warnings and advice via the Hazards Near Me app and set up a watch zone for your local area."
There is also the potential for flash flooding during this rain event, with authorities repeating the warning to not drive through swamped roads.
"If you come across a flooded road, turn around and find another way," Mr Malone said.
A flood warning stretches from the coast to inland suburbs as residents are warned to prepare for the worst amid heavy rainfall forecasts.
More than 125mm of rain could fall from NSW's northwest to the Hunter region on Wednesday, fuelling fears of flooding.
Suburbs including Tamworth, Gunnedah, Narrabri, and Moree are forecast to receive up to 45mm of rain across the day, with isolated falls of up to 70mm.
Meanwhile, the Mid North Coast to the Hunter region is forecast to receive up to 80mm throughout the day, with isolated falls of up to 110mm.
"It's just light or moderate rainfall, but it's the prolonged nature of the rainfall this week, rather than how heavy it is, which is expected to cause flooding issues down the line," the Bureau of Meteorology's Angus Hines said.
Mr Hines warned that the worst of the wet weather and flood risk may be on Thursday with the ground set to be soaked from 24 hours of rain.
"Tomorrow's rainfall, as it gets a bit heavier, is likely to run directly into those rivers and we certainly expect to see river level rises," he said.
A flood watch spanning these regions has been issued warning residents of the potential of minor to moderate flooding late on Wednesday, with the possibility of major river level rises.
Flood warnings are already in place for the Namoi and Barwon Rivers as water levels are already high from rain a few weeks ago.
The Gwydir and Namoi Rivers in the state's northwest could reach major flood levels, while the Nambucca, Peel, Wollombi Brook, Lower Hunter and Colo Rivers may be at moderate levels.
Major flood levels are the highest warning to be issued for a river, with extensive inundation of land and potentially properties.
Moderate levels mean the rivers have broken their banks and may be impacting infrastructure, including roads.
It follows extensive flooding in May in Taree that left homes destroyed and residents isolated for days, claiming five lives.
The Manning River exceeded a 1929 record during recent flooding in the town, peaking at almost 6.5m and bringing widespread devastation.
NSW SES is preparing for an increased number of calls for help across the multiple regions by deploying aircraft, high clearance vehicles and crews.
"While we're prepared for an increased volume of calls for assistance, we ask the community to prepare too," Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said.
"Stay across the latest warnings and advice via the Hazards Near Me app and set up a watch zone for your local area."
There is also the potential for flash flooding during this rain event, with authorities repeating the warning to not drive through swamped roads.
"If you come across a flooded road, turn around and find another way," Mr Malone said.
A flood warning stretches from the coast to inland suburbs as residents are warned to prepare for the worst amid heavy rainfall forecasts.
More than 125mm of rain could fall from NSW's northwest to the Hunter region on Wednesday, fuelling fears of flooding.
Suburbs including Tamworth, Gunnedah, Narrabri, and Moree are forecast to receive up to 45mm of rain across the day, with isolated falls of up to 70mm.
Meanwhile, the Mid North Coast to the Hunter region is forecast to receive up to 80mm throughout the day, with isolated falls of up to 110mm.
"It's just light or moderate rainfall, but it's the prolonged nature of the rainfall this week, rather than how heavy it is, which is expected to cause flooding issues down the line," the Bureau of Meteorology's Angus Hines said.
Mr Hines warned that the worst of the wet weather and flood risk may be on Thursday with the ground set to be soaked from 24 hours of rain.
"Tomorrow's rainfall, as it gets a bit heavier, is likely to run directly into those rivers and we certainly expect to see river level rises," he said.
A flood watch spanning these regions has been issued warning residents of the potential of minor to moderate flooding late on Wednesday, with the possibility of major river level rises.
Flood warnings are already in place for the Namoi and Barwon Rivers as water levels are already high from rain a few weeks ago.
The Gwydir and Namoi Rivers in the state's northwest could reach major flood levels, while the Nambucca, Peel, Wollombi Brook, Lower Hunter and Colo Rivers may be at moderate levels.
Major flood levels are the highest warning to be issued for a river, with extensive inundation of land and potentially properties.
Moderate levels mean the rivers have broken their banks and may be impacting infrastructure, including roads.
It follows extensive flooding in May in Taree that left homes destroyed and residents isolated for days, claiming five lives.
The Manning River exceeded a 1929 record during recent flooding in the town, peaking at almost 6.5m and bringing widespread devastation.
NSW SES is preparing for an increased number of calls for help across the multiple regions by deploying aircraft, high clearance vehicles and crews.
"While we're prepared for an increased volume of calls for assistance, we ask the community to prepare too," Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said.
"Stay across the latest warnings and advice via the Hazards Near Me app and set up a watch zone for your local area."
There is also the potential for flash flooding during this rain event, with authorities repeating the warning to not drive through swamped roads.
"If you come across a flooded road, turn around and find another way," Mr Malone said.
A flood warning stretches from the coast to inland suburbs as residents are warned to prepare for the worst amid heavy rainfall forecasts.
More than 125mm of rain could fall from NSW's northwest to the Hunter region on Wednesday, fuelling fears of flooding.
Suburbs including Tamworth, Gunnedah, Narrabri, and Moree are forecast to receive up to 45mm of rain across the day, with isolated falls of up to 70mm.
Meanwhile, the Mid North Coast to the Hunter region is forecast to receive up to 80mm throughout the day, with isolated falls of up to 110mm.
"It's just light or moderate rainfall, but it's the prolonged nature of the rainfall this week, rather than how heavy it is, which is expected to cause flooding issues down the line," the Bureau of Meteorology's Angus Hines said.
Mr Hines warned that the worst of the wet weather and flood risk may be on Thursday with the ground set to be soaked from 24 hours of rain.
"Tomorrow's rainfall, as it gets a bit heavier, is likely to run directly into those rivers and we certainly expect to see river level rises," he said.
A flood watch spanning these regions has been issued warning residents of the potential of minor to moderate flooding late on Wednesday, with the possibility of major river level rises.
Flood warnings are already in place for the Namoi and Barwon Rivers as water levels are already high from rain a few weeks ago.
The Gwydir and Namoi Rivers in the state's northwest could reach major flood levels, while the Nambucca, Peel, Wollombi Brook, Lower Hunter and Colo Rivers may be at moderate levels.
Major flood levels are the highest warning to be issued for a river, with extensive inundation of land and potentially properties.
Moderate levels mean the rivers have broken their banks and may be impacting infrastructure, including roads.
It follows extensive flooding in May in Taree that left homes destroyed and residents isolated for days, claiming five lives.
The Manning River exceeded a 1929 record during recent flooding in the town, peaking at almost 6.5m and bringing widespread devastation.
NSW SES is preparing for an increased number of calls for help across the multiple regions by deploying aircraft, high clearance vehicles and crews.
"While we're prepared for an increased volume of calls for assistance, we ask the community to prepare too," Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said.
"Stay across the latest warnings and advice via the Hazards Near Me app and set up a watch zone for your local area."
There is also the potential for flash flooding during this rain event, with authorities repeating the warning to not drive through swamped roads.
"If you come across a flooded road, turn around and find another way," Mr Malone said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
High rainfall totals and thunderstorms forecast for south-east Queensland
A low-pressure system trough is expected to deepen today, bringing the possibility of high rainfall and thunderstorms in south-east Queensland. Forecasters said the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Darling Downs should expect more dreary conditions. Morgan Pumpa from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said the focus would be on the border ranges from Goondiwindi across to the Gold Coast. The chance of the heaviest rainfall and thunderstorms is on the Gold Coast, but Brisbane will experience shower and thunderstorm activity with rainfall between 7 and 40 millimetres likely. "It will depend on thunderstorm activity, but at Coolangatta we have a forecast of 15–70mm on Thursday alone, and 3–30mm on Friday," Ms Pumpa said. Areas around the Darling Downs and Granite Belt can also expect widespread rain, which could lead to river rises. "It's really important for people living in these areas to look at the radar and keep an eye on the shower activity, and stay up to date with all the latest warnings," Ms Pumpa said. "There's probably more of a concern over the border in New South Wales for flooding conditions, but for Queensland, we're focused on severe thunderstorm warnings." Senior meteorologist Angus Hines said the wet conditions were unusual. "Some places have already had above 50mm of rain, and when we add in what we're expecting during Thursday, we could see some spots over 100mm for the week, which is quite a wet week at any time of year, but particularly at this time of year." Last year, the BOM recorded 71mm of rain through August for parts of the south-east. Beyond the southern towns, Mr Hines said cloudy skies and some spotty showers were forecast from the Wide Bay to Mackay through Thursday. "You might see a small amount of rainfall in those districts without it really tipping the rain gauges over more than about one or two millimetres," he said. "We have a fine, clear and sunny day across central and western parts of Queensland." He said temperatures would be relatively cool across the south of the state and warm in the north. "It's been a cold couple of days around Brisbane [and] it's going to be on the cooler side of average again," Mr Hines said. "Western and northern parts of the state are a fair bit warmer with those clearer skies and sunshine, and in fact a lot of places in northern Queensland tending to be one or two degrees warmer than average for this time of year." Mr Hines said the rain would clear during Friday. "It could be a wet start to the day, but by about lunchtime it looks like most of that rain has gone," he said. "The rest of the state is heading for a pretty dry day." He said a sunny weekend was on the cards for most of the state. "A couple of showers are possible around the Capricornia and the Central Coast, but really minimal rainfall forecast anywhere across Queensland this weekend," Mr Hines said. "We're expecting to see far more sunshine than cloud cover."
Courier-Mail
2 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
Green drought support: Government pledges aid to Australian farmers
The federal government has vowed to keep supporting farmers and regional communities struggling through the green drought, especially if things get worse before they get better. As farmers across southern parts of Australia hold out hopes for a wet spring, which the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting, new Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said the government was conscious that might still not be enough. 'While we can't anticipate what might happen, we are there ready to provide support where and when needed,' she said in an interview. More frequent and intense weather events have cost the budget more than $2bn already this year, but Ms McBain said cost wasn't a barrier to ensuring disaster-prone communities were looked after. 'No doubt that it's an expensive operation, but it's what we've got to do to make sure Australians are kept safe,' she said. 'We've got to ensure that we're helping Australians, no matter where they live, to receive the support they need before, during and after a natural disaster.' Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain has vowed to keep supporting farmers and regional communities struggling through the green drought. Picture: Martin Ollman The increasing cost to the budget underscores how crucial investment in resilience is. Ms McBain, a former mayor of Bega Valley Council who led her community through nine natural disasters, said local governments had a crucial role to play in ensuring communities were best prepared for severe weather. 'I want the focus to be on helping local councils to build more resilient infrastructure and prepare local communities as best they can for the advent of natural disasters,' she said. Almost two thirds of Australians have been affected by natural disasters since the 2019/20 bushfires, and some communities have required assistance a dozen times since then. Already this year, Australia has experienced a number of abnormal extreme weather events including a cyclone threatening southeast Queensland for the first time in 50 years, severe flooding in the state's largely unprepared west, and waves of drought in southern Australia. While many of those drought-impacted regions received rain over winter, it came too late. It turned fields green but the plans lacked the nutritional value needed to support livestock which triggered the 'green drought'. Farmers across southern parts of Australia hold out hope for a wet spring, which the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting. Picture: Toby Zerna Media. Ms McBain said the drought highlighted how far reaching the impacts were. 'The cumulative and compounding impacts of disasters is pretty intense, particularly for regional and rural communities. It impacts not only residents, but our small businesses and our primary producers,' Ms McBain said. 'We've got to make sure that we're building the right foundation of resilience and preparedness, and that's exactly what we've been doing with the Disaster Ready Fund.' The $1bn fund, which is due to run until 2028, is currently in its third round. In its second year, $200m was spread across 171 projects. The Future Drought Fund, established in 2019, offers $100m in grants and programs every year. Over the next four years, $36m has been earmarked to support social resilience in agriculture-dependent communities. The Bush Summit News Corp's award-winning national advocacy campaign kicks off today, celebrating regional Australia while investigating the problems facing those living in the bush and pushing for solutions. The Bush Summit includes events around Australia – headlined by political, industry and community leaders – and special reports on the challenges and opportunities facing the regions. The series runs nationally across News Corp's metropolitan and regional mastheads, The Australian, The Weekly Times and Sky News Australia. It kicks off today with an event in Broome, Western Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver the keynote address at the national event, in Ballarat in Victoria on August 29. He will be joined by high-profile speakers including federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. The series also includes events in Mount Gambier in South Australia on Friday; Toowoomba in Queensland on Monday; and Wagga Wagga in New South Wales on August 27. It wraps up in Darwin in the Northern Territory on September 1. The Bush Summit is supported by presenting partner Hancock Prospecting and S Kidman and national partners Commonwealth Bank, Optus, Qantas and Woolworths, which is also supporting the inaugural Bush Champions Awards. Toyota is supporting cartoonist and adventurer Warren Brown's road trip. State partners include the City of Ballarat and Federation University in Victoria; ClubsNSW and Sydney Airport in New South Wales; Ampol, QRC and Suncorp in Queensland; the SA Government and G'day Group in South Australia; and APA, Minerals Councils of Australia and the NT Government in the Northern Territory. The Bush Summit events are free to attend. To register, visit Originally published as Bush Summit: Government vows to support Australian farmers amid green drought
Herald Sun
2 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Green drought support: Government pledges aid to Australian farmers
Don't miss out on the headlines from Bush Summit. Followed categories will be added to My News. The federal government has vowed to keep supporting farmers and regional communities struggling through the green drought, especially if things get worse before they get better. As farmers across southern parts of Australia hold out hopes for a wet spring, which the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting, new Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said the government was conscious that might still not be enough. 'While we can't anticipate what might happen, we are there ready to provide support where and when needed,' she said in an interview. More frequent and intense weather events have cost the budget more than $2bn already this year, but Ms McBain said cost wasn't a barrier to ensuring disaster-prone communities were looked after. 'No doubt that it's an expensive operation, but it's what we've got to do to make sure Australians are kept safe,' she said. 'We've got to ensure that we're helping Australians, no matter where they live, to receive the support they need before, during and after a natural disaster.' Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain has vowed to keep supporting farmers and regional communities struggling through the green drought. Picture: Martin Ollman The increasing cost to the budget underscores how crucial investment in resilience is. Ms McBain, a former mayor of Bega Valley Council who led her community through nine natural disasters, said local governments had a crucial role to play in ensuring communities were best prepared for severe weather. 'I want the focus to be on helping local councils to build more resilient infrastructure and prepare local communities as best they can for the advent of natural disasters,' she said. Almost two thirds of Australians have been affected by natural disasters since the 2019/20 bushfires, and some communities have required assistance a dozen times since then. Already this year, Australia has experienced a number of abnormal extreme weather events including a cyclone threatening southeast Queensland for the first time in 50 years, severe flooding in the state's largely unprepared west, and waves of drought in southern Australia. While many of those drought-impacted regions received rain over winter, it came too late. It turned fields green but the plans lacked the nutritional value needed to support livestock which triggered the 'green drought'. Farmers across southern parts of Australia hold out hope for a wet spring, which the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting. Picture: Toby Zerna Media. Ms McBain said the drought highlighted how far reaching the impacts were. 'The cumulative and compounding impacts of disasters is pretty intense, particularly for regional and rural communities. It impacts not only residents, but our small businesses and our primary producers,' Ms McBain said. 'We've got to make sure that we're building the right foundation of resilience and preparedness, and that's exactly what we've been doing with the Disaster Ready Fund.' The $1bn fund, which is due to run until 2028, is currently in its third round. In its second year, $200m was spread across 171 projects. The Future Drought Fund, established in 2019, offers $100m in grants and programs every year. Over the next four years, $36m has been earmarked to support social resilience in agriculture-dependent communities.
