The Australian Capital Territory and parts of eastern New South Wales are being lashed by thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, wreaking havoc on the roads.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Canberrans woke to a Sunday downpour that closed off streets and flooded the city, with some parts of north Canberra reportedly receiving 60mm of rain in just one hour.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) issued a severe thunderstorm warning during the morning, urging people to be prepared for potential flash flooding from Young in the west, western Sydney in the north, below Canberra to the south and right across to the coastline.
Particular locations likely to be affected are Canberra, Wollongong, Nowra, Bowral, Goulburn and Yass, the BoM warned.
The warning stretches across the entire Illawarra and Southern Tablelands forecast areas, and parts of the South Coast, Central Tablelands, South West Slopes and ACT.
ACT Police and fellow emergency services have reiterated that if it’s flooded, forget it.
In Canberra, Northbourne Avenue from the City to Dickson, including Macarthur, Wakefield and Limestone avenues were closed on Sunday morning due to the flooding.
“Please drive to the conditions and if visibility is restricted due to heavy rainfall, pull over safely to the side of the road and wait until conditions improve,” ACT Police posted on Facebook.
Goulburn State Emergency Service (SES) crews had been to a handful of jobs by 11am, including pulling a car from a flooded underpass after 50mm of rain.
“Someone decided to drive through it. Police attended and the person was pulled out,” local controller Robert Bell told The Goulburn Post.
“Police completed the rescue. No one was injured, according to our reports.”
Other jobs they attended, along with NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) crews, included a tree down at Marulan blocking southbound lanes of the Hume Highway.
“There are leaking roofs and a house at Marulan with a flooded garage. We are using sandbags to stop it going into the house,” he said.
The Yass service centre was reportedly packed as motorists fuelled up and sought refuge from lashing on the Hume Highway.
Meanwhile, the BoM predicts the thunderstorms will be less likely during Sunday afternoon and there’s just a 50 per cent chance of more rain – but not as much – on Monday.
“A cold front and associated trough will continue to move across southern and central parts of the state today, reaching the northeast on Monday,” the forecast read.
“This system will combine with high atmospheric moisture to produce rainfall across much of eastern New South Wales in this period. Behind this system, a ridge of high pressure will develop along the New South Wales coast as a high pressure system moves across the Bight and into the southern Tasman Sea by Monday evening.”