Flooding continues across inland NSW, as western Sydney residents are warned of rising waters in the flood-prone Hawkesbury-Nepean.
Minor flooding is expected to begin there on Friday, and residents of several suburbs including Windsor, Penrith, and North Richmond have been told to monitor the conditions.
The Hawkesbury-Nepean region has already suffered two major floods this year.
The threat is being exacerbated by more rain on Friday, with intense falls likely in areas hit by thunderstorms.
Storms are expected to move towards the coast on Friday, and are set to continue for days.
“Another low pressure system is set to form over southern NSW and that will drive further showers and storms into mid-next week,” Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Jonathan How said.
“Thunderstorms have been quite hit and miss, but some locations have seen more than 100mm (rainfall).”
The bureau has forecast damaging winds, heavy rain and hailstones with possible flash flooding.
Renewed flooding is possible on NSW inland rivers beginning on Friday, the bureau warned.
“Catchments are very wet and most dams are at or near capacity,” the bureau said.
Major flooding was already occurring at several locations on Thursday night.
Moama, on the NSW side of the Murray River opposite the Victorian town of Echuca, has been the focus of the flood threat in recent days.
The river passed major flood levels late on Wednesday night and continues to slowly rise towards the 94.77m height of a 1993 flood, the area’s second-worst on record.
The bureau expects it to reach around 95m next week, still below the 96.2m heights of its worst flood in 1870.
Hundreds of people have been ordered to evacuate Moama and surrounds this week.
Major flooding has started on the Darling River at Tilpa in northwest NSW.
In the central west, the Lachlan River is in major flood at Euabalong and Jemalong. Major flooding is also possible at Condobolin and Hillston.
Moderate flooding continues at Forbes.
At Warren, where the Macquarie River has been at major levels for weeks, renewed rises are likely.
The river stopped its slow fall on Thursday and remains above major flood levels.
© AAP 2022
