Heavy rains eased in eastern Australia on Monday, providing some relief to flood-weary residents, but authorities warned several inland regions could be hit by another intense weather system that will bring more downpours and trigger flash floods. The northern state of Victoria, southern New South Wales (NSW) and northern Tasmania should brace for widespread rain of up to 100mm (4in) over two days from late Wednesday, about a quarter of Australia’s annual average, the Bureau of Meteorology said ( BoM ) said.
“It’s another big event … so we’re likely to see a lot of moderate and possibly major flooding,” BoM forecaster Dean Narramore told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Monday. While blue skies have returned in many places, more than 100 flood warnings remain in place across NSW, the worst-hit state since the latest rain event began last week, forcing many to flee their homes and inundate roads and farms.
“Just because the rain has stopped doesn’t mean the threat has eased because the water is going into our rivers and streams,” Narramore said. Evacuation warnings were issued over the weekend for several residents in rural inland areas of the state, as well as in the northwestern Sydney suburbs of Windsor and North Richmond. “In remote NSW they will be on standby for the next few days as we wait for the next big system to arrive between Wednesday and Friday,” NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said. Weather on Australia’s east coast has been dominated by La Nina, which brings more rain resulting in frequent flooding from the start of 2021, and the Bureau of Meteorology predicts the phenomenon is likely to occur for a rare third consecutive year. Many dams and rivers are already full in the states of NSW and Victoria, home to more than half of Australia’s nearly 26 million people, and further falls over saturated areas increase the risk of flash flash floods.
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