What happened on Friday 1 July, 2022
With that, we’ll be wrapping up our live news blog. Here’s a summary of the main news developments:
- Communities in New South Wales hit by heavy flooding earlier this year are bracing for days of torrential rain, as the east coast prepares for an intense wet spell.
- Australia’s acting prime minister, Richard Marles, has declared the government won’t take any “backward step” in pursuing the national interest, in an interview with Guardian Australia, after Chinese state media said hopes of a diplomatic reset were “diminishing by the day”.
- At least 33 deaths from Covid-19 were recorded across Australia on Friday, as Australia nears 10,000 deaths from the virus.
- Kiribati is embroiled in a constitutional crisis after the government suspended its chief justice, leaving the judiciary in disarray as experts raise concerns about the rule of law.
- Australia has thrashed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in Galle, bowling the hosts out in a session and claiming their fastest Test victory in 20 years.
- The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has raised the case of jailed engineer Robert Pether with the Iraqi leader, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, as the Australian’s family warns he has become “gravely ill” and is rapidly deteriorating in his Baghdadi jail cell.
Thanks for following along, and for all those observing, I hope it was a happy start to the new financial year.
Have a pleasant evening and weekend.
Updated
Sydney and mid-north coast facing heavy rainfall
First up, here’s the area of most concern for heavy rain and possible flash flooding from Saturday along parts of the New South Wales east coast near Sydney.
A severe weather warning has been issued for Sydney southwards to beyond Nowra for the next couple of days. 'Six-hourly rainfall totals between 80-150mm are possible', @BOM_au says. An east coast low from Monday would worsen flood risks if it forms.https://t.co/E0A4G0fr0O pic.twitter.com/s5LJkm624M
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) July 1, 2022
Here’s the Bureau of Meteorology’s rainfall forecasts for Sydney’s CBD (at Observatory Hill), but the totals are similar inland over three days.
300mm of rain expected for Sydney in the next three days. (Similar numbers for western Sydney too.) @BOM_au pic.twitter.com/BYKR05M5ZI
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) July 1, 2022
Even though June was very dry – compared with historical levels and the deluges many in NSW have been used to in the past couple of years – dams remain near capacity around Sydney (and most of the state).
In other words, the dams are likely to spill. According to emergency services, Sydney’s main dam, at Warragamba, may “experience a significant spill early next week”, based on the BoM’s forecasts.
With the possibility of an east coast low forming late on the weekend, or early on Monday. Here's what the dams near Sydney look like - and why the spills might turn out to be large ones. pic.twitter.com/GeKM0D3Xb5
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) July 1, 2022
As it is, the Bureau is forecasting a warning for possible major flooding on the Hawkesbury-Nepean River, which is downstream from Warragamba. (About half of the flows may come from other catchments.)In other words, the region to Sydney’s north and west may be in for another sizeable flood, not long after the last one - just three months ago.
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Updated
