Cleanup continues in parts of NSW as tropical low threatens heavy rain between Port Hedland and Ningaloo
The skies above New South Wales are expected to clear this week, bringing relief to thousands who have been left sitting in the dark as massive storms swept the state and knocked power offline.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecast for the NSW capital and parts of the state suggests calmer skies in the week ahead, with light winds and a chance of a thunderstorm over Sydney on Tuesday.
BoM senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said the storms were caused by a cold front which developed into a low that sat just off the coast through Thursday and Friday, bringing heavy rainfall.
“It’s all weakened now,” Narramore said. “Definitely a wild and woolly few days, but thankfully it’s all over.
“It’s pretty dry for everyone across eastern NSW, and not too hot either, but heating up as we get into next week.”
The easing conditions should offer a chance for recovery efforts to get under way in areas severely affected by the storms such as Maitland, Port Stephens and the Snowy Valleys region, where a natural disaster has been declared.
Emergency service workers were on Sunday working to reconnect about 18,500 customers after felled trees cut power lines across much of NSW.
Some communities across the New South Wales mid north coast and Central Coast, as well as Cowra and Wagga Wagga, have yet to receive a disaster declaration, which would entitle residents quick access to financial support.
An emergency declaration may be expanded to include these areas as state agencies including the Reconstruction Authority assess the storm damage alongside councils and emergency response organisations.
The NSW State Emergency Service received almost 8,300 calls for help between Wednesday and Sunday, with more than half coming from outside Sydney.
A car was swept off a causeway at Limpinwood near the border with Queensland about 9.30pm on Saturday. No one was inside the vehicle when it was found in flood waters, prompting a search which resumed on Sunday morning.
“Police and emergency services have got grave fears, but a search is currently under way,” the premier, Chris Minns, told reporters on Sunday.
Elsewhere two people were trapped in a vehicle as flood waters rose and two others requested evacuation when they became isolated. Ten cows were rescued after entering flood waters at Bulahdelah on the state’s mid north coast.
One man died when his car was hit by a tree on Wednesday while others were injured on Friday when a large tree hit pedestrians in Sydney’s CBD.
Meanwhile, strong winds lifted sand off Bondi beach, blanketing the promenade and car park on Saturday.
Further north in Queensland, heavy rain on Saturday night in the state’s south-east caused swollen dams to spill, sparking flood warnings.
Upper Springbrook on the Gold Coast recorded 141mm of rain in 24 hours while Mount Cotton south of Brisbane was battered by 110mm.
Cooloolabin Dam on the Sunshine Coast, Little Nerang Dam on the Gold Coast, Leslie Harrison Dam east of Brisbane and Maroon Dam in the Scenic Rim all increased outflows following the rain.
Residents downstream of the dam were advised to avoid hazardous crossings where there was fast flowing or deep water.
It was a different story in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, where a tropical low was expected on Sunday to develop into a cyclone, bringing heavy rain between Port Hedland and Ningaloo.
The cyclone will track west south-west parallel to the Pilbara coast, and though the worst conditions are expected to stay offshore, coastal areas will experience heavy rain and strong to damaging wind gusts. Offshore island communities may experience destructive wind gusts.
Coastal areas could see a storm surge that, combined with large waves, may lead to flooding along the foreshore in places – conditions that have shut down the Pilbara’s iron exports.
The Pilbara ports see off about 43% of the global iron ore trade and 7.5% of the global natural gas trade.
These conditions will ease off from Tuesday with a chance of a thunderstorm on Wednesday and daytime maximums in the range of 38C to 43C expected.
The cyclone will also bring severe to extreme heatwave conditions to Perth and much of WA south-west of the cyclone, as easterly winds drag heat from inland Australia towards the western coast.
Conditions across the other state capitals were expected to remain mostly stable, with a heatwave building across Queensland and parts of NSW towards the end of the week.
