Severe Weather Warning & Flooding - Illawarra and South Coast
 

Severe Weather Warning for damaging winds, heavy rainfall and damaging surf for people in the Illawarra and South Coast forecast districts
Issued at 10:19 pm EST on Tuesday 25 August 2015.
EAST COAST LOW AFFECTING SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE NSW COAST

Weather Situation
A small low pressure centre off the northern parts of Illawarra coast is very slowly moving north, while a strong high pressure system moves east south of the Bight strengthening a ridge across the southern Tasman Sea. The two systems are generating vigorous onshore winds and periods of heavy rain along the southern half of New South Wales coast. The low is expected to move away from the coast during Wednesday morning and weaken.

DAMAGING WINDS around 65 km/h with peak gusts of 90 km/h may affect the coastal fringe of the Illawarra and northern coastal fringe of the South Coast forecast district. Periods of heavy rain, which may lead to FLASH FLOODING are forecast for the Illawarra and northern parts of the South Coast forecast districts. Locations which may be affected include Wollongong, Kiama, Nowra, Jervis Bay and Ulladulla.

VERY HEAVY SURF which may lead to localised damage and coastal erosion is forecast for parts of the Illawarra and South Coast forecast districts. Beach conditions in these areas could be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas.

Rainfall Observed since 9am Tuesday:

Tomerong 163mm

Brooman 143mm

Ulladulla 129mm

Vincentia 116mm

Winds Observed:

91 km/h gusts at Ulladulla at 11:30am

Average wind speed of 65 km/h and gust of 83 km/h at High Range (Wanganderry).

The State Emergency Service advises that people should:

Move vehicles under cover or away from trees.
Secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony.
Keep clear of fallen power lines.
Don't drive, ride or walk through flood water.
Keep clear of creeks and storm drains.
If you are trapped by flash flooding, seek refuge in the highest available place and ring 000 if you need rescue.
For emergency help in floods and storms, ring your local SES Unit on 132 500.

The next warning will be issued by 5:00 am EST Wednesday.
This warning is also available through TV and Radio broadcasts; the Bureau's website at Australia's official weather forecasts & weather radar - Bureau of Meteorology or call 1300 659 218.

The Bureau and State Emergency Service would appreciate this warning being broadcast regularly.


http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/warnings/index.shtml?ref=hdr

Re: Severe Weather Warning & Flooding - Illawarra and South Coast
 

MINOR FLOOD WARNING FOR THE SHOALHAVEN RIVER

Issued at 8:36 pm EST on Tuesday 25 August 2015
Flood Warning Number: 1

Up to 290 millimetres of rain has fallen during the past 30 hours to 8pm today [25/8/15].

Further rain is forecast for the next 12 to 15 hours.

This rain is expected to cause minor flooding at Nowra and Terara on Wednesday [26/8/15].

At this stage it is not possible to predict the flood peak because of uncertainty over how much more rain will fall.

Predicted River Heights/Flows:
Nowra

- exceed minor flood level [2.3 metres AHD] around 6am Wednesday [26/8/15]

- reach 2.5 metres around 10am Wednesday with minor flooding

Terara

- exceed minor flood level [2.2 metres] around 8am Wednesday [26/8/15]

- reach 2.3 metres around midday Wednesday with minor flooding

Re: Severe Weather Warning & Flooding - Illawarra and South Coast
 

MODERATE FLOOD WARNING FOR THE ST GEORGES BASIN

Issued at 11:00 pm EST on Tuesday 25 August 2015
Flood Warning Number: 4

Up to 390 millimetres of rain has fallen during the past 33 hours to 9pm today [25/08/15].

Further rain is forecast for the next 12 to 15 hours.

Minor flooding is occurring along Sussex Inlet and St Georges Basin where moderate flooding is expected on Wednesday.

Predicted River Heights/Flows:
Island Point Road

- peak around 1.7 metres at 11am Wednesday [26/08/15] with moderate flooding

Sussex Inlet

- first peak near 1.5 metres around 5am Wednesday [26/08/15] with moderate flooding coinciding with high tide

- second peak near 1.7 metres around 5pm Wednesday [26/08/15] with moderate flooding coinciding with high tide

Re: Severe Weather Warning & Flooding - Illawarra and South Coast
 

MODERATE FLOOD WARNING FOR THE BELUBULA RIVER AT CANOWINDRA

Issued at 3:58 pm EST on Tuesday 25 August 2015
Flood Warning Number: 5

No significant rain has been recorded in the Belubula River Valley since Monday evening.

Moderate flooding is current at Canowindra where the river was 5.3 metre and near its peak at 12:30pm Tuesday afternoon.

River heights along the Lachlan River are expected to remain below minor flood level.

For emergency assistance call the SES on telephone number 132 500.

For life threatening emergencies, call 000 immediately.

Re: Severe Weather Warning & Flooding - Illawarra and South Coast
 

Hundreds of millimetres of rain has fallen across the Illawarra and South Coast causing evacuations, road closures and school closures.

17 State Emergency Service crews from the Illawarra and South Coast were deployed today in response to around 200 calls for assistance.

In some areas over 200 millimetres of rain fell up to nine o'clock this morning and another 100 millimetres has fallen since, bringing some totals to over 300 millimetres.

A warning has eased for homes located below the Jerrara Dam...the SES issued an evacuation order in the morning, but concerns the dam could burst didn't eventuate.

Re: Severe Weather Warning & Flooding - Illawarra and South Coast
 

Tuesday August 25, 2015 - 22:58 EST
Residents from 10 out of 12 homes near the Jerrara Dam have been evacuated because of heavy rain.
Emergency crews have responded to more than 1,600 calls for help and undertaken more than 50 rescues after wild weather across New South Wales tore roofs off homes and forced the evacuation of homes and schools amid fears a dam would fail.
The low pressure system was expected to then move away from the coast through Tuesday night and gradually weaken during Wednesday, a statement from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.
Winds have been easing since about 7:00pm (AEST) but rainfall was expected to be consistent through the night.
Residents around the St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet in the Shoalhaven area have been issued an evacuation order.
Moderate flooding is expected on Wednesday at St Georges Basin about 10:00am and at Sussex Inlet about 5:00am.
The State Emergency Service (SES) has advised residents to stay with family or friends or move to evacuation centres at Sussex Inlet Bowling Club or the Country Club at Sanctuary Point.
Up to 360 millimetres of rain fell in the 30 hours up to 6:00pm on Tuesday in the St Georges Basin and several rescues were carried out at Sanctuary Point in the area.
Flood warnings were also issued for Nowra and Terara.
Emergency service crews also doorknocked residents of Lake Conjola on the south coast earlier on Tuesday evening to warn them to evacuate should floodwaters rise.
A "mini tornado" at Dubbo in the state's central west late on Monday damaged buildings and brought down trees and powerlines.
The SES said 10 out of 12 properties around the Jerrara Dam west of the Illawarra town of Kiama had been evacuated on Tuesday morning amid fears the dam wall could fail.
Earlier on Tuesday, the SES said the areas of Mt Brandon Road, Jerrara Road and Jamberoo Road were at risk of "dangerous flooding" if the dam failed.
The dam has since overflowed in some parts.
The SES said the evacuation order for areas surrounding the dam would remain in place for 48 hours after rainfall stops.
"Jerrara Dam has been to numerous levels of alert on occasions in recent years," Deputy Commissioner Newton said.
"Kiama Council is actually decommissioning Jerrara Dam as a scheduled decommissioning.
"As part of that process they're deconstructing the main dam wall, and due to the influx of rain that we've had in the last 24 hours the dam [is] now filled up and is flowing over the dam wall, which is obviously meant to hold the water back.
"We have concerns that [the] flow â?? it's considerable flow â?? will scour the remaining dam wall to a point where the integrity can be compromised.
"It's a precaution at the moment but there is a real threat at this stage that we may have some issues further downstream, particularly if we get a large scour occur at once where a volume of water ends up flowing downstream."
Severe weather heading south after lashing Sydney
Heavy rain and strong winds have caused havoc around the Sydney and Illawarra area in the past day, with 192 millimetres of rain reported at Bellambi in northern Wollongong.
Kiama has had its wettest day in 13 years with rainfall of 230 millimetres.
Most of the damage is in the northern part of the region around Bulli and Woonona.
Since the deluge in Sydney, the weather continued to move further south down the NSW coast into the Illawarra and the south coast.
Bulli High School, Minnamurra Public School and Falls Creek Public School were closed due to the conditions, the Department of Education confirmed.
Parts of Lake Conjola were inundated by floodwaters with some areas of the small township already isolated.
The SES said the main bridge in the town was also covered by floodwaters due to the rising lake levels and had been closed.
Ashley Sullivan from the SES said residents should prepare for possible evacuation but that formal order had not yet been issued.
"If [residents are] safe, they can stay put at the moment, we will advise if the situation changes," she said.
"The advice in situations like this is, in poor weather when you live in an environment where it may flood, we ask you to prepare now, before it reaches a critical time."
Marilyn Stewart runs the general store and post office in Lake Conjola and has lived there since 1972.
"In the 40-odd years that we've had the store here, I've never seen the water so high," she said.
"I'm seeing the water lap the bottom step of the store, but having said that, we are probably about 60 to 70 centimetres above where the water's lapping now â?? it's going under our store building.
"And if I look to the left and to the right of me, the lake is encroaching up towards the houses that are on the waterfront."
Ms Sullivan said crews were also monitoring other areas in the region hit by rising floodwaters.
"Our major concern at the moment is those coastal lakes of the Shoalhaven including The St Georges Basin and surrounding suburbs, the lower Shoalhaven flood plain along with areas around Gerringong," she said.
The BoM warned people to prepare for more heavy rain and possible flash flooding on the NSW south coast.
SES spokeswoman Sue Pritchard said people should not drive through flood water and urged residents living or working near rivers systems to monitor water levels closely.
In Sydney, hailstones as large as 20 cent coins were reported in some suburbs as heavy rain and hail swept the city on Monday night.
The severe weather caused flash flooding throughout the CBD as well as the inner west and eastern suburbs, before moving south and out to sea.
Four people rescued outside Orange
Four people were also rescued from floodwaters west of Orange.
The SES said torrential rain inundated a number of homes and garages at Canowindra on Monday night.
Crews saved three adults and a child who called for help due to floodwaters.
Region controller Craig Ronan said the SES received nine calls for help in the area.
"It probably was fairly significant. Highly unusual because of the swiftness of it happening, but it would have been quite a significant amount of water," he said.
'Mini tornado' hits Dubbo
Meanwhile, what was described as a "mini tornado" hit Dubbo in western NSW about 5:00pm on Monday, tearing roofs off buildings and bringing down trees and powerlines.
The storm hit the city's east late on Monday with residents describing the sound as similar to a freight train.
The SES responded to 12 calls for help in the area, with four properties extensively damaged.
Mick Medlin, Dubbo station officer for Fire and Rescue NSW, said he saw the "tornado" develop.
"It looked very ominous, and I pulled over," he said.
"I had the kids in the car so I stayed at quite a safe distance.
"What we saw develop was basically a mini tornado and we saw large sheets of iron and building material and branches of trees get sucked back into the air up into the storm cell."
Alicia Sherwood saw the "tornado" pass near her home and said it was an extraordinary sight.
"It flew across the front of our house, so about 200 metres in front of our house and then it hit someone's house, lifted sheets of iron off their shed, demolished the renovations that they're doing and then just kept on travelling on from there and the noise and the mess of it were just horrific," she said.
- ABC
© ABC 2015
Image: 11:42pm rad