The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast 45 millimetres of rain for Sydney as a low-pressure system that has already wreaked havoc in the state’s north makes its way to the harbour city.
Residents across the northern NSW were subject to evacuations and flash flooding over the weekend, as over 200 millimetres of rain was recorded in some areas overnight.
The NSW SES currently has more than 140 warnings in place across the state.
In the state’s Central West, emergency services are searching for a missing woman in floodwaters.
Speaking on the Today Show on Monday morning, NSW SES Northern Zone Commander Andrew Cribb said the northern NSW catchment had been hit with a “significant amount” of rain within a small amount of time, with most areas across the region clocking about 150 millimetres overnight.
In particular, the suburbs of Astonville near Lismore recorded 225 millimetres of rain.
"The SES have been working very closely with the community to make sure that they understand where they sit, and what the consequences are of anything that may be coming forward. Making sure that they’re prepared and making sure that their welfare is looked after as well," he said.
The Wilsons River is predicted to peak on Monday afternoon but is unlikely to reach levels seen earlier this year.
"At the moment we are still saying that it’s a moderate flood," Cribb said.
NSW Fire and Rescue inspector Phil Eberle said rising river levels at the Murray River were of particular concern with extra resources being sent to the NSW-Victoria border.
"All the support agencies; we are just preparing for the worst and hoping for the best," he said.
"Talking to the farmers and the residents that live out there and their little properties. What the water is doing is unprecedented. There are levels that they’ve never seen, there’s water coming from directions that they didn’t believe water would ever come from."
In the Central West, emergency services were called to an incident about 30 kilometres north of Mudgee after a car was swept away from floodwaters.
The driver of the car, a 45-year-old man, and two males passengers, aged 43 and 26, made their way to safety. The woman, also a passenger, managed to make her way out of the car but remains missing.
In Sydney, both the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers have been flagged for moderate flooding on Monday.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast 45 millimetres of rain for Sydney across Monday as well as winds easterly 15 to 25 kilometres an hour.
Flooding warnings are still in place for the Tweed, Wilsons, Orara, Macleay, Hunter, Severn, Upper Macintyre, Gwydir, Mehi, Peel, Namoi, Castlereagh, Macquarie, Bell, Bogan, Lachlan, Belubula, Murrumbidgee, Murray, Edward, Culgoa, Bokhara, Warrego, Paroo, Barwon, Darling and Macintyre Rivers.
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