Sydney is waking to another day of heavy rain, with residents across New South Wales warned to prepare for flooding and possible evacuations.
Overnight, parts of the Illawarra region were drenched with more than 80mm of rain and the Sydney metropolitan area recorded up to 50mm.
The Bureau of Meteorology in an update today issued a severe weather warning for residents in the Illawarra and parts of metropolitan Sydney, the South Coast, Central Tablelands and Southern Tablelands.
Forecasters say the heavy rain will continue in those areas through this morning.
“Scattered six-hourly rainfall totals between 40mm and 60mm are likely with isolated totals around 100mm possible. Scattered 24-hourly rainfall totals between 75mm and 100mm are also likely with isolated totals around 130mm possible,” the bureau said.
The NSW State Emergency Service told 9News it had responded to more than 440 incidents in the past 24 hours up to 5am today, including 43 flood rescues.
The SES has warned residents in low-lying areas around the town of Picton, south-west of the Sydney CBD, to prepare for evacuation in coming hours.
There are also concerns the Warragamba Dam, 65km west of Sydney, could spill over the next 24 hours because the catchment has had so much rain.
The good news is that the heavy rainfall will ease later today, with drier conditions forecast tomorrow.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, wild weather swept across Perth overnight with roads flooded and power outages as heavy rain soaked the state’s south-west.
The city recorded wind gusts of up to 94km/h and more than 150 homes were without power in the city’s inner suburbs. Conditions are expected to ease today.