The fun was short-lived for Illawarra beach-goers making the most of yesterday morning's summer sun as they were forced out of the water by a violent storm.
Lightning strikes closed several beaches during the storm, which brought dark clouds and heavy rain to the region once again.
More erratic weather is forecast this week, starting with scattered showers and isolated storms today.
The rain is expected to clear briefly on Wednesday before returning on Thursday for the weekend.
Weatherzone predicted a high chance of rain on all but two of the next 28 days, and the State Emergency Service is warning residents to be flood safe.
SES regional controller Greg Murphy said residents should be aware of flood points and should not travel between affected areas until waters subside.
"If there is significant rainfall and those places become flooded it is much better to wait until the water goes down than try to make it home or make it to work or school," he said.
Crews have finished their response to last week's flash floods but Mr Murphy said the SES would watch for heavy rain.
"Because the creeks in the Illawarra are so short and steep and prone to flash-flooding there is always significant risk with heavy rainfall in the region," he said.
Email a friend