Australia news live: flood warnings as storm batters NSW; train passengers told to avoid non-essential travel
Date: 2025-07-01T20:18:05.000Z
Title: Damaging winds and heavy rainfall batters coastal NSW
Content:
The NSW Bureau of Meteorology issued a weather update at 4.08am in which it said the 'vigorous coastal low-pressure system' has moved from off the coast of Sydney to offshore from the northern Illawarra, bringing damaging winds and heavy rainfall along the coastline and elevated parts of the state.
It is expected to gradually tracknorth-eastwards into the Tasman Sea during today.
These are the details:
Heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding continues in the south-east of NSW, south of Nowra, extending southwards towards Bega and inland to Braidwood. Six-hourly rainfall totals of between 50 to 80mm are likely, it said, with isolated totals up to 120mm. Rain rates are forecast to ease during this morning.
Damaging south to south-westerly winds averaging 60 to 70km/h with peak gusts of around 110km/h are possible along coastal parts from the south coast to the mid-north coast, including eastern Sydney metropolitan area. Damaging south to south-westerly wind gusts around 90km/h are possible for parts of the Snowy Mountains and southern ACT.
Strong to damaging west to south-westerly winds averaging 55 to 65km/h with peak gusts of around 100km/h are likely to develop around parts of the northern tablelands, the mid-north coast hinterland and about the Border Ranges from early this morning, and are expected to continue through the day.
Locations which may be affected include Newcastle, Gosford, Sydney, Wollongong, Armidale, Nowra, Batemans Bay, Tenterfield, Katoomba, Moruya Heads and Penrith.
Significant amounts of rainfall included
80.5mm was recorded at Oranmeir in the 6 hours to 2:05 am.
108mm was recorded at Nowra in the 6 hours to 12:02 am.
133mm was recorded at Morton in the 6 hours to 11:43 pm.
116mm was recorded at Vincentia in the 6 hours to 9:37 pm.
The impact of the storm would ease during tomorrow, it said, but pulses of increased winds and rainfall associated with this system could continue to impact areas of eastern NSW.
Update:
Date: 2025-07-01T20:15:02.000Z
Title:
Content: If you want to find out which parts of NSW are being hit by rain and how much, look no further than our interactive map.
Update:
Date: 2025-07-01T20:13:43.000Z
Title: NSW train passengers told to avoid non-essential travel as storm disrupts network
Content: There could be severe disruption and chaos on New South Wales's rail network this morning after Transport NSW advised passengers last night that they 'should avoid non-essential travel across the rail network' – the warning was updated at 6.03am.
It said the weather had damaged parts of the network's infrastructure and some services have been cancelled because fallen trees have blocked tracks.
Train and bus users were urged to:
Plan your trip before leaving home
Check alerts here for real-time travel information.
Be careful of slippery conditions when travelling through stops and stations.
Listen to service announcements at stations
Leave plenty of extra travel time if you are using the public transport network.
Driving may not be much better either, with Transport NSW advising that motorists across eastern parts of the state NSW should 'prepare for delays and disruptions, as extreme weather is set to lash the region today and into the coming days'.
Drivers are advised to:
Use the Live Traffic NSW app or livetraffic.com for up-to-date road conditions before setting off.
Don't drive, walk or cycle through flood waters.
Watch out for storm debris on the road.
Update:
Date: 2025-07-01T20:12:05.000Z
Title: Welcome
Content: Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I'm Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it'll be my colleague Rafqa Touma to take control.
The wild weather lashing New South Wales continued overnight. The Bureau of Meteorology said early this morning that the storm had moved from off the coast of Sydney to the Illawarra, bringing winds above 125km/h and heavy rain with the risk of flash flooding from Nowra as far south as Bega. Areas as far north as Queensland's Lockyer Valley are being warned of severe weather, and Central Coast residents were being warned to evacuate late yesterday amid coastal erosion.
There could be severe disruption and chaos on Sydney trains this morning after Transport NSW advised passengers last night to 'avoid non-essential travel across the rail network' after the weather downed trees and blocked tracks. It also said drivers should be ready for delays and disruptions to last through the coming days.
The storm is expected to track south before turning back out into the Tasman Sea sometime today.
More details soon.
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