South Coast put on alert ahead of more forecast heavy rainfall

NSW SES spokesman Joshua McLaren said volunteers continued to help residents around the Illawarra and South Coast on Saturday.

He said the majority were for fallen trees and leaking roofs.

“The rain has eased but we are reminding motorists to make safe decisions and never enter flood waters,” Mr McLaren said.

12:30pm, Saturday:

The Bureau of Meteorolgy says Wollongong has been spared the brunt of an east coast low which is slowly moving south/south east.

“At the moment the low is sitting offshore, roughly about Sydney. We’re expecting it to slowly move south/south east; by the time we get to Monday it’ll move east further across the Central Tasman Sea,” BOM duty forecaster Rob Taggart said.

“The heaviest rainfall has mostly gone.”

However, don’t put the umbrellas away yet.

Mr Taggart said scattered showers would continue to hydrate the Illawarra though ease off on Sunday.

From 9am Friday to 9am Saturday Albion Park only copped 11mm of rain compared to areas like Mount Pleasant which received 67mm, Dumbertoon Loop with 68mm and Mount Kembla with 60mm.

Mr Taggart said the South Coast was being hit badly by the low, with many areas receiving in excess of 100mm and 120mm since Friday morning.

11.05am, Saturday: 

Continued rainfall may lead to flash flooding in parts of the South Coast on Saturday, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.

A low pressure system off the central parts of the NSW coast is expected to move south to south-east. 

Locations which may be affected include Nowra, Batemans Bay, Braidwood, Bega, Moruya Heads and Nimmitabel. 

Widespread falls of 50mm to 100mm, with locally higher totals, have been recorded in parts of the Illawarra and South Coast districts from 9am Friday to 9am Saturday. 

Further rainfall is forecast for the remainder of Saturday, but is generally expected to ease during Saturday evening.

A flood watch is current for the Moruya River valley.

Twenty-four-hour rainfall totals from 9am Friday to 9am Saturday include:

The next severe weather warning will be issued by 5pm Saturday.

For more information visit the Bureau's website at www.bom.gov.au or call 1300 659 218. 

8.40am, Saturday:

Two people had to be rescued from Mount Kembla due to fallen trees blocking the roads out Friday afternoon.

The Wollongong SES unit was called at 4:11pm to Wind Gully Lookout to help the pair whose car had become trapped, the with RFS also called in to assist.

Meanwhile, SES spokesman Josh McLaren said 46 calls were help were made overnight from Helensburgh to Kiama, the majority around Wollongong.

“Most of those have been related to leaking roofs and that sort of damage with a few reports of trees down,” Mr McLaren said.

Across NSW, the SES has now received 1125 calls for help.

8.20am, Saturday:

The SES has advised people to stay at home if they can.

Friday night: Communities from Eden to Wollongong have been put on alert ahead of more forecast heavy rainfall that’s likely to cause flash flooding on Saturday.

A Bureau of Meteorology-issued severe weather warning for the Illawarra and South Coast districts remained current early on Saturday morning, with 24-hour rainfall totals potentially exceeding 100 millimetres forecast in some areas on Saturday. 

A low pressure system was expected to form within a trough off the NSW central coast on Friday night and move slowly south to southeasterly during Saturday, bringing with it heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said the low would also cause wind and wave heights to increase along the coast this weekend.

The wild weather comes after heavy rain hit parts of the Illawarra on Friday.

Flooding affected a number of roads and has already closed the Illawarra Highway at Croome Lane, Albion Park Rail. Diversions, via Tongarra Road and the Princes Highway, are in place. 

Meanwhile, a flood watch is current for the St Georges Basin and the Moruya and Bega river valleys.

“This system has the potential to cause flooding to develop in the following river valleys from Saturday onwards: Moruya –  minor flooding; Bega –  minor flooding; and St Georges Basin – minor flooding around Sussex Inlet coinciding with high tide,” the bureau said.

A flood watch means people living or working along rivers and streams should monitor the latest weather forecasts/warnings and be ready to move to higher ground should flooding develop. 

Flood warnings will be issued if the minor flood level is likely to be exceeded at key locations along the rivers included in the flood watch.

The low expected to move further east on Sunday.

*rainfall between 9am and 6.30pm on Friday.

*rainfall in the 24 hours to 9am on Friday.