New flood warnings as 4000km rain bomb hits Australia
New flood warnings are in place for Western Sydney as a massive rain event lashes half of Australia.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) warned North Richmond may see flooding this weekend.
Sydney is already seeing the effects of the rain bomb, with roads in the Inner West flooding this afternoon.
Cars in Enmore drove through the floods as people sheltered on sidewalks away from the sudden deluge.
It comes as a 4000-kilometre rain event is expected to hit central and eastern parts of the nation.
The weather system runs from the Northern Territory, through Queensland and down to New South Wales and Victoria – a distance of between 2000 and 3000 kilometres, Weatherzone meteorologist Felix Levesque said.
It even extends out into the Tasman Sea, towards New Zealand.
Mr Levesque said the heaviest rain would come today and tomorrow, before contracting into isolated pockets on Saturday.
Eastern Queensland is likely to see rain through to the end of the month.
Severe thunderstorms have also been forecast, with emergency crews already having received dozens of calls for help across Sydney.
More wet weather is forecast for Sydney today but is expected to ease into the weekend.
“We’ve seen some very wet conditions across Sydney already, yesterday we saw storms move through and Warragamba received 60 millimetres in just one hour,” Agata Imielska, from the Bureau of Meteorology, said.
Ms Imielska said NSW will see severe thunderstorms and widespread rainfall today.
“There is a risk of intense rainfall that can produce flash flooding, damaging winds,” she said.
“The severe thunderstorm risk could bring severe hail which is another concern for the state.”
There is also a concern for renewed flooding in Gunnedah and Forbes, which has been inundated by recent floodwaters.
A severe weather warning is in place for south-western NSW with severe thunderstorms and rainfall expected today.
In Queensland, a deluge of heavy rainfall is set to hit Townsville, Georgetown, Springsure, Einasleigh and Rollingstone.
A major flood warning remains in place for the lower Macintyre River and Weir River
It comes after the state was hit with the heaviest November rainfall in decades.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said 121 millimetres of rain fell in Brisbane in the past 24 hours.
The wet weather is expected to continue for the rest of summer due to a La Niña event occurring in the Pacific for a second consecutive year.
The BoM declared a La Niña has developed in the Pacific Ocean, leading to wetter than normal periods for eastern, northern and central parts of the nation.
Heavy rainfall hits Sydney streets
La Niña often brings above-average rainfall, cloud cover and cooler temperatures.
