A severe weather warning for the already flood-ravaged northern region of NSW has been issued by forecasters, as communities continue in their massive clean-up.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned heavy rainfall may lead to flash-flooding in parts of northeast NSW later on Monday and into early Tuesday.
Six-hourly rainfall totals of between 80mm and 140mm are possible, with locally intense falls leading to dangerous and life-threatening flash floods and totals of more than 180mm in six hours, the BOM said on Monday morning.
The forecast zone includes Tweed Heads, Murwillumbah, Byron Bay, Lismore, Yamba, Grafton, Coffs Harbour and Dorrigo.
The warning of more heavy falls comes as the Northern Rivers community continues cleaning up after floods damaged and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the region earlier this month.
“It won’t bloody stop raining up here,” Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg told the Nine Network on Monday.
“The forecast doesn’t look good … the next two days is critical for how Lismore is going to fare over the next week.
“This is a major development, this weather front. If our river rises, we’re going to start the evacuations today just to be cautious.
“But there’s a lot of infrastructure that’s been temporarily put in place that we’re going to have to pack up and move out of the CBD area.”
The public school in the riverside town of Woodburn is expected to reopen on Monday, and a number of businesses in the Northern Rivers were planning to recommence trading.
“All these people are living on the edge at the moment,” the mayor said.
A separate, severe thunderstorm warning may be issued on Monday if dangerous storms producing intense rainfall are detected.
© AAP 2022
