NSW weather updates as it happened:Parts of Sydney evacuated due to flood risks,river levels rising

It has been a big day for thousands across Sydney after the city was pummeled by the powerful Black Nor’easter weather system overnight.

And even though we’ve enjoyed blue skies and warm weather in the daylight hours,much of the damage could still be on the way,as rivers around Sydney continue to rise tonight.
Here’s a recap of everything that’s going on and what could possibly be in stall:

Our coverage will be back at 6am tomorrow morning. Have a safe evening.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a major flood warning for the Hawkesbury River just before 7pm this evening. Here are all the places set to flood,according to the bureau:

Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers

Colo River

Upper Coxs River

Suburbs south of Sydney appear to have been hit hard by the storms,with the suburb of Mount Keira particularly badly affected by the intense winds and rainfall.

Nearby Mount Pleasant received one of the heaviest drenchings of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Saturday,copping 240 mm.

In Sydney’s west,the Windsor Bridge is set to go under water as floodwaters rapidly rise.

Local MP Robyn Preston updated her constituents on social media,saying the water level had gone above eight metres.

“Windsor Bridge,once closed is likely to be out for the weekend and hopefully will reopen on Monday,unless there is another sudden,heavy downpour,” she said.

“The water that overflowed from Warragamba Dam earlier this morning,hasn’t reached Hawkesbury yet.

“The water level is now past 8 meters at Windsor and once the water gets to just under the bridge,that’s when the bridge is likely to close as the force of the flood waters creates a lot of pressure on the bridge itself.”

According to the bureau,the river had reached 8.89 metres by 5.45pm on Saturday.

The local SES unit had previously said the bridge was 9.4 metres high. Official flood warnings say river levels to rise to 10.5 metres overnight at Windsor.

The bridge was built to be flood proof. It was submerged by floodwaters three times in 2022.

The powerful weather system which wreaked havoc on Sydney is moving south,prompting the Bureau of Meteorology to warn it may lead to localised damage and coastal erosion.

Areas south of Wollongong to south of Moruya Heads are expected to be impacted by late this evening before abating in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A previous dangerous surf warning for the coastline off Sydney has now been cancelled.

But further south,waves are expected to approach the shore from the east,causing east-facing beaches to be most at risk.

“Beach conditions in these areas could be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas. Locations which may be affected include Eden,Moruya Heads and Merimbula.“

Passengers travelling on trains and buses in Sydney and the rest of the state have been advised to allow extra travel time after rail lines,roads and stations were flooded with water in the past 24 hours.

Here is the latest advice on the trains:

Numerous roads across Sydney and surrounds remain closed. Here is the latest update on what exactly is affected as of 4pm today from the Transport Management Centre:

In Sydney:

In the south:

In the north:

In the northwest:

In the west:

Hundreds of people had to be saved from floodwaters across Sydney,the Illawarra and South Coast in the past 24 hours.

The NSW State Emergency Service said more than 200 mm of rain lash Sydney and the Illawarra while 4000 volunteers were out in force.

They responded to 3135 calls for help in the past 24 hours.

SES volunteers are now helping residents and business owners with the clean-up job.

NSW SES State Duty Commander assistant commissioner Dean Storey,said flooding will continue in low-lying properties along the Hawkesbury,Nepean and Colo Rivers.

“While the significant rain event has now passed and blue skies have returned,flooding is expected to occur for residents in the Hawkesbury Nepean and Colo communities as the rainfall moves into the rivers and downstream over the coming days,” Storey said.

The NSW SES currently has 13 Emergency Warnings in place requesting affected residents evacuate their properties.

Jack Greene was busy cleaning office equipment and sweeping out mud and debris after half-a-metre of water swept through his workplace in Picton,south-west of Sydney.

Greene said the water rose quickly early Saturday morning before dissipating and leaving sludge in its wake.

He said cupboards and filing cabinets,chairs,a printer and fridge were all damaged:“The computers were OK,but power sockets obviously copped a bit of damage.”

Other businesses in the town on Sydney’s south-western fringe were also cleaning up after being flooded.

Greene said the weekend would be spent cleaning and “probably then reassessing flood damage.”

“Everything is drying outside,” he said,looking at the blue sky.

“It’s a good day for cleaning.”

Across NSW,residents are still working to mop up flooded areas while emergency services are dealing with the fallout of the intense rainfall overnight.

At Stanwell Park,firefighters from the Helensburgh unit of Fire and Rescue NSW worked throughout the early morning to keep people safe.

They assisted residents at a home at Stanwell Park which was flooding just before 5am.

Just before 6am,they were called to Lawrence Hargrave Drive at Stanwell Park to close the road after the intense rain triggered a small landslide.