Residents on NSW coast warned weather system could bring up to '250mm of rain in isolated pockets'

Australia Broadcast Center

6 hours ago

Residents along the east coast of NSW have been warned to prepare for heavy rain over the next 48 hours with a severe weather system expected to hit early this week.
Bureau of Meteorology [BOM] meteorologist Angus Hines said the powerful low pressure system would "drench and batter" parts of the state starting Tuesday.
"On Wednesday this low-pressure area intensifies it becomes larger, stronger more powerful and that is going to be a significant weather system for the middle of this week," he said.
"At first [on Monday] the rain is likely to build across the Northern Rivers, the Mid North Coast and up towards the northern parts of the Tablelands too.
"It's really Tuesday where this system becomes much more powerful and intensifies … by the end of [Tuesday] you'll see persistent falls and very strong winds across the coast from about Port Macquarie southwards."
The BOM issued a hazardous surf warning along the coast from Port Macquarie to Batemans Bay, advising people not to go rock fishing, boating or swimming over the next few days.
Beyond the Mid North Coast, Sydney is expected to cop the strongest part of the weather system as it intensifies going into Wednesday.
"They're not going to be very nice conditions, we'll start seeing that shower activity but tomorrow afternoon is when you're really going to start to see that rain," BOM's Belinda Roux told ABC Radio Sydney on Monday morning.
"Sydney is looking at around 50 to 90mm on Tuesday day and those wet and windy conditions to continue through Wednesday.
"We're not calling it [an East Coast Low] yet, but there is a potential it will develop into one, we're monitoring to see where it would form."
The SES warned those likely to be impacted from northern NSW to the state's south needed to have an evacuation plan in place in case of an emergency.
"So things like cleaning up around your home, please have an evacuation plan ready, have your emergency kits ready and please make sure you communicate with family friends and check on your neighbours and keep every safe.
"If it comes towards the coast or hits on the coast, we will have the potential for significant rainfall. It will be short in duration but could be quite heavy, up to 250mm potentially in some isolated pockets."