Wild weather: flood warnings as east coast low sweeps down – live updates
This article is more than 7 years old
The northern rivers area in New South Wales is facing evacuations and a rising flood threat as heavy rain and high winds hit Sydney and Newcastle. Parts of Victoria and Tasmania are braced for wild weather. All the developments live
We’re wrapping up our live coverage of the severe weather conditions across Australia’s east coast. Here’s a summary of how the day unfolded:
Severe weather warnings have been issued across New South Wales on Sunday as wild weather continued to batter the east coast. The poor weather conditions that began on Saturday continued throughout Sunday, with heavy rainfall and gale force winds.
Flood warnings were issued across New South Wales with a number of towns and areas issued with evacuation orders. Severe weather warnings were issued as far south as Tasmania, while Queensland emergency services continue to clean up after the severe weather that hit the state on Saturday.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting that poor weather conditions will continue on Monday. People are being advised to be cautious on roads and while travelling, with major road closures due to flooding in some areas and power failures leading to traffic lights shorting out.
Here’s an updated news story with all the details on the severe weather conditions today.
Dangerous flooding and severe weather conditions have forced hundreds to evacuate their homes across Australia’s east coast, with poor weather conditions set to continue into Monday.
On Saturday weather warnings were issued from the Gold Coast in Queensland down to southern New South Wales, as an intense low pressure system created gale force winds and high rainfall that battered the east coast.
Conditions did not ease and continued into Sunday. The New South Wales State Emergency Service issued a number of evacuation warnings as a result of flooding.
The heavy rainfall and gale-force winds led to widespread power outrages, blocked roads and damages to homes from falling trees.
Flood evacuation notices were issue across NSW in areas including Lismore, the Cooks River, the Georges River, parts of the NSW north coast and Fingal Head. Later in the day low-lying parts of Sydney’s southwest were also told to leave, including Chipping Norton, Milperra, Lansvale and Carramar, as the Georges River rose.
Residents were told to gather medicines, pack clothing and try to turn off power and gas.
This is some striking footage that the UNSW Water Research Laboratory have just uploaded that shows the last 48 hours at Narrabeen beach in Sydney.
They’ve also issued a note with this footage outlining how the flash flooding and severe weather conditions observed are directly linked to climate change.
In a recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters, Professor Ashish Sharma and doctoral student Conrad Wasko, of UNSW’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, show the first evidence of how storm intensification driven by climate change is triggering more destructive storms.
“As warming proceeds, storms are shrinking in space and in time,” said Wasko. “They are becoming more concentrated over a smaller area, and the rainfall is coming down more plentifully and with more intensity over a shorter period of time. When the storm shrinks to that extent, you have a huge amount of rain coming down over a smaller area.”
Wasko and Sharma analysed data from 1,300 rain gauges and 1,700 temperature stations across Australia to see how air temperature affected the intensity and spatial organisation of storms.
They found that atmospheric moisture was more concentrated near the storm’s centre in warm storms than in cooler ones, resulting in more intense peak rainfalls in those areas. The storms were clearly shrinking in space, irrespective of the amount of rain that fell.
There’s been another flood evacuation order issued by the NSW State Emergency Service, this time for low lying parts of Chipping Norton. Here’s the latest update from the SES.
As a result of the flood level predicted by the Bureau of Meteorology for Georges River at Liverpool and Milperra immediately the NSW State Emergency Service is directing residents within the following areas to evacuate
Rickard Road, Chipping Norton
Arthur Street, Chipping Norton
Riverside Drive, between Arthur Street and Newbridge Road, Chipping Norton
Newbridge Road, between Rickard Rd and Governor Macquarie Drive, Chipping Norton
Davey Robinson Drive, Chipping Norton
Do not delay your evacuation. Roads will be congested or closed. You could become trapped and need rescue. Remaining in flooded areas is dangerous and may place your life at risk.
Wherever possible, people should go and stay with family or friends, or make other accommodation arrangements. For people who need assistance an evacuation centre has been set up by Community Services at:
Liverpool City Library, George Street Liverpool.
As you evacuate you should;
Take your important documents, mementos and photos.
Take your spare clothing, medicines and personal hygiene supplies.
If you are going to the evacuation centre, take blankets/sleeping bags, pillows andsleeping mats.
If possible, check to see if your neighbours need help.
Turn off the electricity and gas.
Never drive ride or walk through floodwater.
Continue to listen to a local radio station for updates.
To severe weather isn’t just limited to Queensland and New South Wales, and there are warnings that have also been issued for Tasmania. Here’s a brief take from AAP on the warnings issued there.
Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to hit Tasmania during several days of severe weather.
Heavy rain and strong northeast winds are expected across much of the state on Sunday, particularly in the north, with the potential for wind gusts of up to 90km/h and up to 120mm of rain.
The severe weather will continue on Monday and possibly extend into Tuesday, and the SES have urged residents to avoid damaging surf on coastal beaches.
This is quite remarkable footage from Lismore posted by ABC journalist Jackson Vernon. There has been an evacuation order issued by the State Emergency Service for Lismore CBD.
Tell us about your experiences as the extreme weather conditions continue across Australia’s east coast. You can post updates to our Guardian Witness post here.
Severe weather conditions have been causing chaos across Australia’s east coast, looking to continue into at least Monday.
The northern rivers area in New South Wales is facing evacuations and a rising flood threat as heavy rain and high winds hit Sydney and Newcastle. Parts of Victoria and Tasmania are braced for wild weather.
If you are being affected by the extreme weather, you can share your pictures, videos and stories by clicking on the blue “Contribute” button on this article. You can also use the Guardian app and search for “GuardianWitness assignments” – and if you add it to the homepage – you can keep up with all our assignments.
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