Heavy rain, flooding continues to target eastern Australia this weekend
By
Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Dec 14, 2020 3:01 PM EDT
With severe storm warnings in place along Australia’s east coast on Dec. 14, thick sea foam rolled into Froggy Beach, engulfing a group of people enjoying the tide.
A storm gathering strength in the Coral Sea will continue to bring heavy rain and the threat of flooding to eastern Australia this weekend and into the early week.
The heaviest rain is expected to continue to unfold across southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales into Monday.
“A strengthening area of low pressure across the Coral Sea will track to the west towards eastern Australia and bring rounds of heavy rain to the region,” explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Miller.
“While this storm is not expected to organize into a tropical cyclone, it can still batter coastal portions of southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales with bouts of heavy rain and gusty winds,” Miller added.
Rainfall amounts 100-200 mm are expected from near Brisbane, southward to just north of Sydney. Places within this area like Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie will be at the greatest threat of heavy rain and flooding.
An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 400 mm (16 inches) is possible in areas that get the heaviest and most persistent rain.
While the heaviest rain is likely to remain to the north of Sydney, showers can still dampen the weekend, and a period of steadier rain is possible early this week.
Anyone traveling within the region should be prepared for road closures due to heavy rain and flooding. Even if there is not flooding in a particular area, travel delays are possible due to reduced visibility and ponding on roads.
People are advised never to drive across a flooding roadway. There can be no way of telling if the hidden road is washed out or compromised. Turn around and find another route.
Flash flooding across portions of the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Australia, had already become a major issue by Saturday morning. Heavy rains flooded multiple roadways and forced some residents to evacuate their homes, 9News Australia reported.
At least four people were rescued from floodwaters in New South Wales overnight Saturday into Sunday morning, local time. Since Friday, emergency services in Australia received over 1,200 calls for assistance for problems range from property damage and leaks to fallen trees and flooding, The Guardian reported.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) confirmed more than a dozen locations along the New South Wales coast reported more than 100 mm (4 inches) of rain from Friday morning to Saturday morning. For some of these locations, the worst of the rain held off until Sunday.
As of Sunday night, local time, Couchy Creek, New South Wales, had recorded a staggering 393 mm (15.47 inches) of rain, according to the BoM.
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In addition to the heavy rain, much of the region will also have a gusty onshore wind from the weekend into early this week. This can create large waves and dangerous surf conditions as well as coastal erosion and flooding at times of high tide.
Wind gusts of 60-100 km/h (40-60 mph) are possible in coastal areas from southern Queensland to northern New South Wales. This could cause isolated power outages and downed tree branches.
While the threat of widespread heavy rain is expected to come to an end after early this week, locally drenching thunderstorms can still bring downpours to much of eastern Australia into the middle of the week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Weather Forecasts
Heavy rain, flooding continues to target eastern Australia this weekend
By Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Dec 14, 2020 3:01 PM EDT
With severe storm warnings in place along Australia’s east coast on Dec. 14, thick sea foam rolled into Froggy Beach, engulfing a group of people enjoying the tide.
A storm gathering strength in the Coral Sea will continue to bring heavy rain and the threat of flooding to eastern Australia this weekend and into the early week.
The heaviest rain is expected to continue to unfold across southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales into Monday.
“A strengthening area of low pressure across the Coral Sea will track to the west towards eastern Australia and bring rounds of heavy rain to the region,” explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Miller.
“While this storm is not expected to organize into a tropical cyclone, it can still batter coastal portions of southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales with bouts of heavy rain and gusty winds,” Miller added.
Rainfall amounts 100-200 mm are expected from near Brisbane, southward to just north of Sydney. Places within this area like Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie will be at the greatest threat of heavy rain and flooding.
An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 400 mm (16 inches) is possible in areas that get the heaviest and most persistent rain.
While the heaviest rain is likely to remain to the north of Sydney, showers can still dampen the weekend, and a period of steadier rain is possible early this week.
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Anyone traveling within the region should be prepared for road closures due to heavy rain and flooding. Even if there is not flooding in a particular area, travel delays are possible due to reduced visibility and ponding on roads.
People are advised never to drive across a flooding roadway. There can be no way of telling if the hidden road is washed out or compromised. Turn around and find another route.
Flash flooding across portions of the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Australia, had already become a major issue by Saturday morning. Heavy rains flooded multiple roadways and forced some residents to evacuate their homes, 9News Australia reported.
At least four people were rescued from floodwaters in New South Wales overnight Saturday into Sunday morning, local time. Since Friday, emergency services in Australia received over 1,200 calls for assistance for problems range from property damage and leaks to fallen trees and flooding, The Guardian reported.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) confirmed more than a dozen locations along the New South Wales coast reported more than 100 mm (4 inches) of rain from Friday morning to Saturday morning. For some of these locations, the worst of the rain held off until Sunday.
As of Sunday night, local time, Couchy Creek, New South Wales, had recorded a staggering 393 mm (15.47 inches) of rain, according to the BoM.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
In addition to the heavy rain, much of the region will also have a gusty onshore wind from the weekend into early this week. This can create large waves and dangerous surf conditions as well as coastal erosion and flooding at times of high tide.
Wind gusts of 60-100 km/h (40-60 mph) are possible in coastal areas from southern Queensland to northern New South Wales. This could cause isolated power outages and downed tree branches.
While the threat of widespread heavy rain is expected to come to an end after early this week, locally drenching thunderstorms can still bring downpours to much of eastern Australia into the middle of the week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo