Evacuation orders were put in place for more Western Sydney suburbs, and three people were rescued by emergency workers, with further rain forecast.
New South Wales state emergency service teams rescued three people, along with 25 dogs and four sheep, from floodwaters in Londonderry, Western Sydney. Photo: NSW SES
It was an anxious night for thousands of people across New South Wales as floodwaters continued to cover regional areas.
Multiple SES units worked together for hoursto rescue three people, 25 dogs and four sheep from rising floodwaters in Londonderry, western Sydney, the ABC reports.
Authorities are warning the rain will continue to lash the state for several days as two weather systems collide tonight.
Evacuation orders were put in place for four more Western Sydney suburbs last night, adding to orders for seven areas already in place.
River flooding is expected, with Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment is saturated. The river is expected to peak around Windsor and Sackville, and by tonight the river level may be at around 13m at Windsor.
New South Wales SES Assistant Commissioner Nicole Hogan told the ABC it was is likely there would be more evacuations today in low-lying areas.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the downpour across the state was worse than initially expected, especially for low-lying areas in Sydney's northwest. Several major roads were closed across the state while many schools called off classes for Monday.
The extreme weather has also affected Australia's Covid-19 vaccine delivery to across NSW, disrupting the country's plans to deliver the first doses to almost six million people over the next few weeks.
On Saturday, a couple's rented home at Mondrook, near Taree on the Mid-North Coast, was swept from its foundations and down the Manning river, on what was supposed to be their wedding day.
Records tumbling
Nelson Bay on the NSW Mid-North Coast recorded 458mm of rain in the three days up to 9am on Sunday , the highest ever three-day total since records began at that location in 1889.
Friday's total of 202mm was the seventh-highest daily fall since records began.
Berejiklian yesterday said the Mid-North Coast was experiencing a "one-in-100-year event" and the situation there was being watched very closely.
Felicity Gamble, a climatologist with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), said the rain event was notable for how widespread it was.
The BOM has issued severe weather warnings for all parts of the NSW coast from Illawarra through to the northern rivers and flood warnings for more than 20 rivers.
In other areas though, the rainfall has not topped the drought-breaking rains that fell on 10 and 11 February last year, at least not yet.
More than 200mm of rain has fallen in Parramatta in the past three days.
- ABC / Reuters