Flood warnings issued for the Hunter ahead of non-stop week of rain

The Bureau is predicting up to 135mm over the six days, exceeding July's average of around 90mm. Picture: Simone De Peak

Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the Hunter with the coming week set to bring a month's worth of rain to Newcastle.

With an 80 to100 per cent chance of rain every day from Friday through to Wednesday, July 6, Newcastle's run of fine weather has come to an end.

The BOM is predicting up to 135mm of rain over the six days, exceeding July's average of around 90mm.

The bureau issued an initial flood watch warning shortly before 1.30pm Thursday. They predicted minor flooding for the Wollombi Brook and Lower Hunter River, Lake Macquarie, Paterson and Williams rivers, along with the Mid Coast's Manning, Gloucester and Karuah rivers.

"Whilst heavy rainfall is expected for several days from Saturday through to Tuesday it is difficult to predict with precision the timing and location of the heaviest rainfall and flood impacts, as the trough system expected to produce the heavy rainfall has not yet formed," the BOM warning said.

Senior BOM meteorologist Jordan Notara told the Newcastle Herald, residents should keep an eye out for further flood warnings over the coming days.

Chance of above average rainfall July 2 to July 15

Mr Notara said the Hunter can expect higher than average rainfall for the remainder of July, with the BOM website showing an 80 per cent chance of above average rainfall for the entire region between July 2 and July 15.

"Suggestively it looks to be a mixed bag for the rest of July," Mr Notara said. "The higher than average rainfall may come from single weather events like the coming week rather than persistent rain for the month."

While the Bureau announced an end to the 2021-22 La Nina earlier this month, Mr Notara said there is still a 50 per cent chance the weather event will return by the end of this year.

Another climate factor which contributes to above average rainfall is a negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).

"The IOD is currently neutral but indicators suggest a negative will form in the coming months."

Temperatures for Newcastle look to be consistently between 10 and 20 degrees for the coming week, with the potential for winds to pick up to around 40km/h by mid next week.

Over the next 4 days parts of #NSW could see consecutive days of heavy rainfall. River rises are possible and there is the potential for flooding. People should consider their travel plans for the school holidays and monitor forecasts and warnings. See: https://t.co/SPHgGeisGZ pic.twitter.com/cSjGmF22j9

— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) June 29, 2022