Severe traffic disruptions began just after 1am with water over the road at Five Islands Rd, Cringila, the intersection of Springhill and Masters roads, and Old Port Rd, Port Kembla.

Figtree, Dapto and Primbee were flashpoints, with the SES called to fix flooded homes, leaking roofs and fallen trees.

At 4.30am, Figtree man Peter Kitchen woke to find four tonnes of soil blocking his driveway after a landslide on his steep O'Briens Rd property.

"We've been here for 21 years and this has never happened," he said, surveying the damage.

The SES attended to cut up a fallen tree and clear foliage, followed by Wollongong City Council staff to shift the soil.

By 6.30am the floods had hit the south, in Berry and Toolijooa, while the northern access to Gerringong was closed for more than seven hours.

Five streets were closed in the Shoalhaven due to flooding, which also forced the closure of the Shoalhaven campus of the University of Wollongong.

Shellharbour City experienced flash flooding and road closures at Tullimbar, Albion Park Rail and Swamp Rd at Dunmore.

Deep water was reported over Industrial Rd, Oak Flats, while the intersection of Shellharbour Rd and the Princes Hwy at Dunmore, was also under water.

Drainage problems resulted in the Illawarra Regional Airport being closed until 4pm. Warilla Library was closed when the car park flooded.

The Illawarra Hwy at Albion Park was closed for most of the day, while lane closures at Durgadin Dr, Albion Park Rail, and flooding on the F6 at Northcliffe Dr resulted in extensive delays to morning traffic.

Water over the road between Kiama and Jamberoo resulted in many sections of the road being closed.

Jamberoo and Dapto Public schools were closed, while there was limited access to Dapto High School.

Members of Kiama SES rescued a couple trapped in their car by floodwaters in Dido St, Kiama. Closure of the road resulted in several residents becoming stranded.

Water from Lake Illawarra lapped at homes in Lakeview Parade, Primbee, and sections of Windang Rd were closed.

On the region's rail system, trains were delayed by up to 30 minutes in both directions due to track repairs at Scarborough, caused by the extreme weather conditions.

The Wollongong telephone exchange was inundated leading to disruptions to broadband services for most of the day and was not expected to be repaired until last night.

Car accidents were reported at Yallah, Bulli Pass and Bridges Rd, Nowra.