Summer storms on Australia’s east coast have claimed one life and threatened dozens more as flood waters rise.
Residents and holidaymakers were evacuated from Narrabeen Lagoon in Sydney’s northern beaches overnight on Saturday, but were told they could return on Sunday.
It came as a landslide damaged three homes and injured at least one woman 20km north, at Great Mackerel beach.
New South Wales State Emergency Service crews responded to 1,403 calls for help in the 24 hours to 5am Sunday, as cars were submerged and homes flooded.
At least 20 people were rescued from floods, most of who had been driving through flood waters, according to SES assistant commissioner Sonya Oysten.
“That Sydney northern area again, we are urging everyone to keep safe, keep inside if you can, a great day for indoor activities,” Oysten told the ABC.
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“There’s a lot of people holidaying in areas that they’re not really aware of … If you don’t know the roads, please try to avoid any travel.”
At least 1000 volunteers had been responding to over 2,100 calls for help supporting clean-up efforts across NSW, mostly in Sydney and surrounds, the SES said.
Sydney’s Observatory Hill recorded 56mm of rain from 5am to 7am on Sunday. Shane’s Park on Sydney’s north-western edge recorded 53mm of rain in just one hour, taking its 24-hour total above 100mm and breaking January records.
Conditions eased across much of coastal NSW on Sunday afternoon, but heavy rainfall continued to buffet the mid-north coast. Comboyne, 60km south of Port Macquarie, recorded 73mm of rain between 3.02pm and 4.02pm.
Warnings for hazardous surf remained in place on the east coast at beaches stretching from Newcastle to Batemans Bay, as well as the Eden coast.
Strong winds were also battering coastal NSW from Coffs Harbour to the Hunter region, the BoM warned. Winds eased around Sydney and the Illawarra by Sunday afternoon.
A woman died after a tree branch fell on her car while she was driving through Macquarie Pass, south of Wollongong, on Saturday afternoon, NSW police said. A man in the front passenger seat suffered minor injuries while the two back seat passengers were unharmed.
Queensland has also faced a bout of wild weather as a band of thunderstorms rolled across the south-east, dumping up to 60mm and leaving about 11,000 properties with power.
More thunderstorms and heavy rain hit the state’s south-east on Sunday afternoon, threatening flash flooding and hailstones.
More than 2,000 properties were still without power in Laidley and Brightview in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley region after wild weather took roofs off homes and brought down trees.
Eleven flood warnings were in force across Queensland as rivers rose in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji.
Central Queensland would continue to face major flooding for much of the next week while low-lying areas of Rockhampton were at risk of inundation, the BoM’s senior meteorologist, Dean Narramore, told the ABC.
In Victoria, sunny skies met the first day of the Australian Open’s main draw.
Melbourne was set to reach a high of 29C on Sunday, while the temperature in Adelaide rose to 36C.
Storms and heavy rain were forecast for Darwin, with a high of 31C.
Perth was set to reach 27C, Brisbane 30C and Hobart 21C.
