Image: Driving rain and high winds cause havoc with commuters getting to work in Sydney, Monday, January 15. Toby Zerna, AAP Image
by GRACE JOHNSON
Sydneysiders have been told to brace for another week of heavy rainfall with this morning’s wet weather causing havoc for commuters.
Monday morning’s forecast warned of a potential for deluges, increasing the risk of flash flooding this afternoon.
This summer has been rainier than most, with intense storms over the holiday period causing flash flooding which trapped 20 Sydney drivers. Extreme rainfall also caused harbour beaches to flush with dangerous levels of pollution, dampening the Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations.
By the beginning of January, NSW State Emergency Service (SES) members had responded to 2066 incidents, including 72 flood rescues, across the Northern Rivers, south coast, Illawarra, and Sydney.
So far, after intense rainfall last night, falls of 74mm have been recorded in the past 24 hours in Terrey Hills in Sydney’s north. Some suburbs in Sydney’s west could receive up to 120mm. But rainfall totals are generally lower closer to the CBD, with Observatory Hill recording 62mm.
For the rest of January, there’s a 60 to 80 per cent chance of above-average rainfall for NSW and much of the eastern seaboard, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Sydney commuters are warned they might experience delays to and from work due to flash flooding, with the SES already getting inundated with rescue calls.
