Emergency services have warned that a major dam in Sydney’s outer southwest will likely begin to overflow on Saturday night, as the state experiences heavy rain.
At around 1.30pm, Water NSW said the Warragamba Dam, which has a capacity of 2,065 gigalitres, was “close to full capacity” and would likely overflow within hours.
The latest models suggest that the dam could reach a spill rate of approximately 40 GL per day, if the catch receives the expected 35mm of rain over the weekend.
WaterNSW said this would be less than the peak spill in April, which exceeded 200 GL per day.
Other dams in Greater Sydney are also likely to burst, including Cataract, Nepean, Woronora, Tallowa, Greaves Creek, Medlow Bath and Middle Cascades.
At about 1.30pm, Water NSW said the Warragamba Dam, which has a capacity of 2,065 gigalitres, was “close to full capacity” and would likely overflow within hours on Saturday.
The Bureau of Meteorology also warned of the possibility of severe thunderstorms in several areas of New South Wales, including parts of Sydney, the Hunter and the Illawarra, with the possibility of localized flash flooding due to heavy rain.
Severe weather warnings have been issued for parts of the New South Wales south coast as between 70 and 200mm of rain could fall.
Wave conditions will also be tough, the office predicts. Hazardous surf warnings are in place for the Macquarie, Hunter, Sydney and Illawarra coasts on Saturday, and Hunter and Sydney on Sunday.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of the possibility of severe thunderstorms in several areas of New South Wales.
Severe weather warnings have been issued for parts of the New South Wales south coast as between 70 and 200mm of rain could fall.
Southern parts of the state, including the Illawarra, South Coast, Southern Tablelands and Snowy Mountains, have been under severe weather warnings, with forecasts of heavy rain and flash flooding.
Rainfall of up to 90mm is expected in just six hours on Saturday in the south of the state, with isolated rainfall of up to 120mm possible in some areas.
Earlier, a bureau meteorologist said there was a chance of strong storms in metropolitan Sydney and the Illawarra, bringing heavy rain that could lead to flash flooding.
Between 20 and 45mm of rain is expected around Sydney on Saturday, with 3 to 20mm forecast for Sunday.
Rainfall of up to 90mm is expected in just six hours on Saturday in the south of the state, with isolated rainfall of up to 120mm possible in some areas.
There was a possibility of rainfall of up to 200mm in 24 hours in some southern parts of the state and a flood alert would be issued, the forecaster said.
The bureau has issued warnings that heavy rain could cause flash flooding in northern parts of the South Coast, parts of the southern Illawarra, eastern parts of the Southern Tablelands and parts of the far northeastern Snowy Mountains districts from Saturday tomorrow until Sunday.
Between 20 and 45mm of rain is expected around Sydney on Saturday, with 3 to 20mm forecast for Sunday.
‘Rainfall every six hours reaches a total of between 70 and 90 mm, with possible isolated rainfall of 100 to 120 mm. “Total falls every 24 hours of between 80 and 120 mm and isolated falls of up to 200 mm are likely to occur on the ranges,” the forecast reads.
NSW Police are urging residents to “consider staying out of the water and avoid walking near areas exposed to waves.”
Sydney has broken its early May rainfall record with almost 150mm recorded at the Hill Observatory gauge since the start of the month.
The office estimates that up to four millimeters could fall on Monday and that on Tuesday there is a 20 percent chance of rain.
If the rain clouds stay away, Sydney’s 13-day rainy spell will be broken.
The weekend’s storms are also expected to bring rain to other parts of the country, from Queensland to Western Australia.
OTHER STATES
Meanwhile, the weekend storm is also expected to bring rain to other parts of the country, with Queensland expected to face showers and thunderstorms.
Southeast Queensland will face the brunt of the state’s deluge, with Brisbane remaining wet on both Saturday and Sunday.
Canberra, as well as the northern and eastern parts of Victoria, will also face a full weekend of rain.
In WA, thunderstorms were forecast on Friday night in the Margaret River and Busselton areas.
But residents were shocked at 4pm local time when a tornado ripped through the town of Bunbury, causing widespread damage and thousands of homes without power.
A PCYC building with dozens of young people inside was completely destroyed and many people were injured