Emergency services have received almost 3600 calls for help across New South Wales as an intense storm continues to batter the east coast.
Damaging winds and heavy rain that belted Queensland and northern NSW on Saturday were slamming Sydney and the Illawarra on Sunday morning.
The State Emergency Service NSW is urging drivers to stay out of flood waters after performing 77 flood rescues, mostly involving stranded motorists.
A minor flood warning has been issued for the Georges river in Sydney and the city is set to cop more torrential rain throughout the morning, with predictions of falls of up to 100mm – and 200mm on the Illawarra escarpment.
While the wild weather is breaking up in the state’s north, residents in areas around Tweed, Tumbulgum and North Lismore have been put on notice for potential evacuations.
And locals around Coffs Harbour are being urged to check warnings after a handful of properties were evacuated overnight.
Conditions from this east coast low-pressure system remain dangerous as it moves slowly south, SES spokesman Phil Campbell said on Sunday.
“Nowhere is spared in this weather event,” Campbell said.
More than 9000 homes and businesses remain without power across Sydney and the Central Coast.
Ausgrid workers have been working to restore supply but have faced strong winds and fallen trees across the network, a spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, motorists are advised to avoid all non-essential travel as flash flooding continues to swamp roads along the NSW coast.
The east coast low moved south over Newcastle and Sydney overnight, the low-pressure system reportedly reaching as far south as Tasmania. The ABC was reporting the weather was expected to be at its worst at midday.
“Our message is clear – do not put your life and that of the emergency services personnel in danger,” NSW police acting assistant commissioner Kyle Stewart said.
A 59-year-old man and a teenage trail bike rider died in separate incidents on Sydney’s roads on Saturday night. It is not clear if the weather contributed to either fatality.
The man died in hospital after crashing his car into the back of another in Sydney’s east. Police say the four people inside the other car – the 24-year-old male driver and three women aged 25, 62 and 57 – were all taken to hospital with possible spinal injuries after the collision in Double Bay on Saturday night.
Hours later, an 18-year-old man was seriously injured when he was thrown from his trail bike after colliding with a car in Plumpton, western Sydney, in the early hours of Sunday. He was taken to hospital but died a short time later.
Ausgrid reported electricity has been cut to 4,000 homes in Sydney and the Central Coast as a result of the wild weather.
In Sydney damaging winds and king tides forced the cancellation of Vivid light installations across the city on Saturday.
The SES was kept busy with thousands of calls for help, including from five people who became trapped when their vehicle got caught in floodwaters in the state’s north on Saturday.