Natural disaster declared as floodwaters rise in Australia
By
Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist &
Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Mar 21, 2021 12:56 PM EST
Heavy rain and flooding continued in New South Wales, Australia, from Saturday, March 20, into Sunday, March 21.
The Australian government has declared a natural disaster across portions of New South Wales as torrential rainfall continues to inundate the region -- and AccuWeather meteorologists warn that more heavy rain is on the way.
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes in New South Wales (NSW) since heavy rainfall arrived late last week. As of Sunday, there have been no reports of deaths due to the flooding, but NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott warned, "we are moving closer and closer to the inevitable fatality."
"This is nothing like we've seen since the 1960s," said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian at a news conference over the weekend. According to CNN, some of the hardest-hit areas this is a once-in-a-century flooding event.
A truck drives through a flooded road at Old Pitt Town northwest of Sydney, Australia, Sunday, March 21, 2021. Australia's most populous state of New South Wales on Sunday issued more evacuation orders following the worst flooding in decades. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, heavy rain and thunderstorms brought widespread rainfall totals of at least 50 mm (2 inches) across most of Queensland and New South Wales during the week of March 13-19.
Higher rainfall totals have been reported along the coast of New South Wales, where persistent onshore flow has helped to fuel heavy downpours. On Saturday, March 20, rainfall totals reached 25-50 mm (1-2 inches) along the entire coast.
The map shows the amount of rain that fell across Australia on Saturday, March 20, with some of the highest rainfall totals (blues and purples) occurring along the coast of New South Wales. (BOM)
Near Port Macquarie, totals reached 200-300 mm (8-12 inches) in just 24 hours. Water quickly collected in low-lying areas across the coastal town with reports of floodwaters reaching up to door handles in some locations.
On Sunday, an additional 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) was reported along much of the coastal area of New South Wales. In Sydney and the surrounding areas, an additional 100-150 mm (4-6 inches) of rain fell.
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Rivers across the region are running high, and floodwaters near Taree inundated one home that had been evacuated earlier on Saturday and carried it down the Manning River.
The New South Wales State Emergency Service (NWS SES) continues to announce evacuation orders, including in the western Sydney area, as torrential downpours continue and water levels across the region are still on the rise. As of Saturday, the NWS SES has conducted at least 500 direct water rescues.
People stand at a washed out section of road at Port Stephens 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of Sydney, Australia, Saturday, March 20, 2021. People across New South Wales have been warned to expect intense rain and potentially life-threatening flooding, with Sydney predicted to be deluged with up to 200 millimeters of rain in one day. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Officials also warn that the excessive rain in recent days, and with more on the way, many dams across the region can come close to capacity with the potential for some to spill over. One such dam is the Warragamba, Sydney's major storage supply, which was at 97.5% capacity on Friday. On Saturday, water began to spill over the top of the Warragamba Dam.
On Sunday, the Warragamba Dam released about 500 gigaliters, according to WaterNSW. Officials stated that water will continue to be released from the dam at this rate or higher as rivers flowing into the dam continue to rise.
The heavy rainfall across the region is also causing delays in the delivery of coronavirus vaccines ahead of the rollout of the Phase 1B, originally scheduled for Monday.
Rounds of torrential rainfall are expected to continue across New South Wales through and weekend and into next week as a coastal low tracks over southeastern Australia. Rainfall totals can reach as high as 200-300 mm (8-12 inches) with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 400 mm (16 inches).
This amount of rain can exacerbate flooding across the already hard-hit areas of southeastern Australia. Rising rivers can continue to cut-off communities, create washouts and cause more dams to reach capacity.
As rescue and recovery efforts continue through the end of the week, a drier pattern will emerge over New South Wales, allowing water levels to begin trending toward normal over the region.
Heavy rain first arrived across Queensland in northeastern Australia since earlier in the week.
During a 24-hour period leading up to Wednesday morning, 550 mm (21.65 inches) of rain inundated the coastal community of Byfield, Queensland.
Water level gauge for Retreat Creek as Sapphire shows the rapid 9-meter rise in water levels on Wednesday. The creek crested at 9.60 meters (31.50 feet) on Wednesday morning, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Farther inland, 216 mm (8.50 inches) of rain in 24 hours led to flash flooding in Sapphire, Queensland, when waters in Retreat Creek rose about 9 meters (nearly 30 feet) within a few hours early on Wednesday. The creek crested near major flood stage before waters started falling later in the day.
The rapid rise in water caught some off guard. According to 9 News, homes in low-lying parts of the town were evacuated, and some people had to be rescued from rooftops and cars.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather News
Natural disaster declared as floodwaters rise in Australia
By Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist & Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Mar 21, 2021 12:56 PM EST
Heavy rain and flooding continued in New South Wales, Australia, from Saturday, March 20, into Sunday, March 21.
The Australian government has declared a natural disaster across portions of New South Wales as torrential rainfall continues to inundate the region -- and AccuWeather meteorologists warn that more heavy rain is on the way.
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes in New South Wales (NSW) since heavy rainfall arrived late last week. As of Sunday, there have been no reports of deaths due to the flooding, but NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott warned, "we are moving closer and closer to the inevitable fatality."
"This is nothing like we've seen since the 1960s," said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian at a news conference over the weekend. According to CNN, some of the hardest-hit areas this is a once-in-a-century flooding event.
A truck drives through a flooded road at Old Pitt Town northwest of Sydney, Australia, Sunday, March 21, 2021. Australia's most populous state of New South Wales on Sunday issued more evacuation orders following the worst flooding in decades. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, heavy rain and thunderstorms brought widespread rainfall totals of at least 50 mm (2 inches) across most of Queensland and New South Wales during the week of March 13-19.
Higher rainfall totals have been reported along the coast of New South Wales, where persistent onshore flow has helped to fuel heavy downpours. On Saturday, March 20, rainfall totals reached 25-50 mm (1-2 inches) along the entire coast.
The map shows the amount of rain that fell across Australia on Saturday, March 20, with some of the highest rainfall totals (blues and purples) occurring along the coast of New South Wales. (BOM)
Near Port Macquarie, totals reached 200-300 mm (8-12 inches) in just 24 hours. Water quickly collected in low-lying areas across the coastal town with reports of floodwaters reaching up to door handles in some locations.
On Sunday, an additional 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) was reported along much of the coastal area of New South Wales. In Sydney and the surrounding areas, an additional 100-150 mm (4-6 inches) of rain fell.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Rivers across the region are running high, and floodwaters near Taree inundated one home that had been evacuated earlier on Saturday and carried it down the Manning River.
The New South Wales State Emergency Service (NWS SES) continues to announce evacuation orders, including in the western Sydney area, as torrential downpours continue and water levels across the region are still on the rise. As of Saturday, the NWS SES has conducted at least 500 direct water rescues.
People stand at a washed out section of road at Port Stephens 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of Sydney, Australia, Saturday, March 20, 2021. People across New South Wales have been warned to expect intense rain and potentially life-threatening flooding, with Sydney predicted to be deluged with up to 200 millimeters of rain in one day. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Officials also warn that the excessive rain in recent days, and with more on the way, many dams across the region can come close to capacity with the potential for some to spill over. One such dam is the Warragamba, Sydney's major storage supply, which was at 97.5% capacity on Friday. On Saturday, water began to spill over the top of the Warragamba Dam.
On Sunday, the Warragamba Dam released about 500 gigaliters, according to WaterNSW. Officials stated that water will continue to be released from the dam at this rate or higher as rivers flowing into the dam continue to rise.
The heavy rainfall across the region is also causing delays in the delivery of coronavirus vaccines ahead of the rollout of the Phase 1B, originally scheduled for Monday.
Rounds of torrential rainfall are expected to continue across New South Wales through and weekend and into next week as a coastal low tracks over southeastern Australia. Rainfall totals can reach as high as 200-300 mm (8-12 inches) with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 400 mm (16 inches).
This amount of rain can exacerbate flooding across the already hard-hit areas of southeastern Australia. Rising rivers can continue to cut-off communities, create washouts and cause more dams to reach capacity.
As rescue and recovery efforts continue through the end of the week, a drier pattern will emerge over New South Wales, allowing water levels to begin trending toward normal over the region.
Heavy rain first arrived across Queensland in northeastern Australia since earlier in the week.
During a 24-hour period leading up to Wednesday morning, 550 mm (21.65 inches) of rain inundated the coastal community of Byfield, Queensland.
Water level gauge for Retreat Creek as Sapphire shows the rapid 9-meter rise in water levels on Wednesday. The creek crested at 9.60 meters (31.50 feet) on Wednesday morning, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Farther inland, 216 mm (8.50 inches) of rain in 24 hours led to flash flooding in Sapphire, Queensland, when waters in Retreat Creek rose about 9 meters (nearly 30 feet) within a few hours early on Wednesday. The creek crested near major flood stage before waters started falling later in the day.
The rapid rise in water caught some off guard. According to 9 News, homes in low-lying parts of the town were evacuated, and some people had to be rescued from rooftops and cars.
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Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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