On Monday, the NSW State Emergency Service advised residents in the northern tablelands and parts of the Hunter to prepare for flooding.
Emergency warnings have been issued for major flooding along the Namoi River at Gunnedah. The SES also warned the Wee Waa and Narrabri areas that further river rises are possible over the coming days as floodwaters move downstream.
Emergency services have been positioned in Narrabri in preparation.
In the Hunter, the SES warned of possible moderate flooding along the Hunter river from Monday afternoon.
At 4pm on Monday, an emergency warning was issued for the town of Raymond Terrace, advising people to evacuate, while residents in parts of Singleton were on alert to prepare for evacuation.
Despite the cancellation of a severe weather warning on Monday, riverine rises remained a risk as floodwaters moved downstream.
The Bureau of Meteorology predicted light showers for Sydney’s City2Surf run on Sunday.
Helen Reid from the Bureau said the snow that covered the northern tablelands in NSW and lightly dusted the Granite Belt in Queensland had melted as temperatures rose.
On Monday, the Bureau warned of significant swells expected to affect the NSW mid-north coast until Wednesday.
Since the onset of the severe weather, the SES has received over 3,600 calls and responded to 2,092 incidents, including 25 flood rescues.
The SES responded to 11 flood rescues in the last 24 hours, with most incidents involving vehicles driven into floodwaters.
The SES deputy commissioner, Debbie Platz, said the area around Gunnedah is of major concern due to high river levels.
“We expect the river to peak later this evening and remain at a high level until Wednesday,” she told the ABC.
Wild weather affected northern NSW over the weekend, causing floods and snowstorms that stranded cars and cut power to homes.
NSW police were still searching for a 26-year-old woman who was swept away into a flooded creek in the Hunter region on Saturday night.
The woman was a passenger in a Mini that was driven by a 27-year-old woman in Rothbury, near Cessnock, and got stuck in a swollen creek.
A police spokesperson confirmed the search resumed on Monday and was ongoing, with police divers at the scene.
In another incident, SES crews rescued a 40-year-old man in the Hunter Valley who was stuck in a tree due to floodwater.
The man was swept out of the tree but rescuers followed him into the water and managed to bring him to shore, and he was taken to the hospital.
– With Australian Associated Press
