The weekend brought enough rain to fill Illawarra dams - some to overflowing - but did not bring the level of flooding that was expected.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
According to the Bureau of Meteorology some areas of the Illawarra copped close to 100mm of rain over the weekend to Sunday afternoon.
Woonona got 73mm of rain and Mt Pleasant 84mm, while the downpour eased for the southern suburbs like Dapto (45mm), Port Kembla (34mm) and Cringila (28mm).
Darkes Forest broke the 100mm ceiling, collecting 122mm in the rain gauge.
Picton fared far worse, with more than 200mm falling over the weekend.
The rainfall was so heavy the State Emergency Service on Saturday issued an order for residents in the Picton CBD to prepare to evacuate.
However, the evacuation of the CBD didn't happen, as the level of Stonequarry Creek fell overnight.
Business owners still chose to take precautions, with many sandbagging their buildings - the Wollondilly SES unit recommended the bags stay until further notice due to the expectation of further rain in the coming days.
Severe weather warnings remained in place over the weekend for most of the NSW coast, as the low-pressure trough continued to deliver persistent rain.
On Sunday morning, the Bureau of Meteorology said conditions in the Illawarra were expected to ease through Sunday night "although further rain is expected during Monday and Tuesday".
Nepean Dam reached capacity while Cataract, Cordeaux and Avon dams were virtually full.
Sydney's main water reservoir, Warragamba Dam, reached capacity and spilled late on Saturday.
The heavy rains forced a number of road closures in the Illawarra, including the Illawarra Highway at Albion Park, and also through Macquarie Pass.
Lawrence Hargrave Drive at Coalcliff was also closed for some time.
Richard Hart, from the Shellharbour City SES unit, said early on Saturday evening that nothing of consequence had occurred for the SES through the Illawarra and Shoalhaven.
It was further north that saw real disaster earlier that day. Flooding - record-breaking in parts - led to the evacuation of hundreds of people.
A couple who were due to be married on Saturday lost their house near Taree on the Mid North Coast when it was carried off in floodwaters from the swollen Manning River.
Police and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott was annoyed that there were 500 flood rescues over the weekend, saying it was "just completely unacceptable".
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
